2 foreigners nabbed in Siargao for alleged illegal resort operation

An undercover BI personnel being shown by subject Teryn Jane Spencer the available rooms and costs of accommodation in an entrapment operation. (Screenshot from video by BI/Viber)

MANILA, Philippines — Two foreigners will undergo deportation proceedings after being arrested for allegedly operating a resort in Siargao despite only holding tourist visas, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday.

BI agents arrested 41-year-old New Zealand national Teryn Jane Spencer and 38-year-old Swiss national Dario Salvatore Di Capua last July 1 in an entrapment operation at a resort in San Isidro, Siargao in Surigao del Norte.

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The operation was carried outafter authorities received intelligence information that the foreigners were personally managing a coffee shop and a homestay without work visas or permits.

The authorities then posed a tourists seeking to book a resort for an event.

“Spencer personally met with the undercover officers, toured them around the property, explained room rates and accommodation options, discussed yoga classes, and arranged the reservation—actions that investigators said demonstrated active participation in the day-to-day operation of the business,” the BI said in a press statement.

“Although the couple claimed they were merely investors, BI investigators found that they had been directly managing the establishment and dealing with customers while remaining in the country under temporary visitor status,” the BI added.

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The BI reported that upon the arrest, the two foreigners were taken into custody and they will face deportation proceedings.

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With this arrest, BI commissioner Joel Anthony Viado reminded foreigners in the country that holding a tourist visa is not tantamount to working or running a business in the Philippines.

“We welcome foreign visitors who respect our laws, but those who abuse the privilege of their stay by engaging in unauthorized employment or business activities will be arrested, deported, and barred from returning. No one is exempt from our immigration laws,” Viado said. /gsg

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