TAGOLOAN, Misamis Oriental — Multiple government agencies launched a massive joint law enforcement operation targeting a sprawling steel manufacturing facility within the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate, resulting in the detention and subsequent filing of criminal charges against 69 Chinese nationals and one Filipino employee.

The high-stakes raid on the 22.7-hectare Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation plant was carried out by a task force comprising the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Inquest proceedings began immediately following the operation.

Authorities executed the court-issued search warrant following a series of complaints regarding labor, immigration, and severe public safety violations. Investigators and experts from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) reportedly detected radioactive materials in several areas of the facility. The plant allegedly imported contaminated scrap materials from China containing hazardous radioactive substances, including uranium-238, thorium-228, and thorium-232.

Furthermore, officials are investigating claims that the plant has been producing substandard steel rebars, posing a catastrophic risk to local infrastructure.

"The suspicion here is that this is the source of substandard steel that could harm our structures," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. told reporters during an on-site inspection. "If there is danger to the community or the nature of the materials, the Office of Civil Defense has been tasked to coordinate mitigation."

The arrested individuals face formal charges under the Philippine Nuclear Energy and Safety Act, the Labor Code of the Philippines, immigration laws, and the Consumer Act.

The steel mill has also been heavily scrutinized due to its ties to controversial businessman Tony Yang (also known as Yang Jian Xin). Yang, the brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, previously admitted during a Senate hearing that he is not a legitimate Filipino citizen and has been linked to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) networks.

Defense Secretary Teodoro questioned how the facility managed to continue operating and maintaining business permits despite its owner’s high-profile legal controversies.

Compounding the controversy, military officials flagged a potential national security risk due to the plant's close proximity to a Philippine Navy dry dock currently under construction inside the industrial estate.

The operation has sparked a sharp diplomatic response from Beijing. Chinese Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong raised concerns over potential "discriminatory law enforcement practice," pointing out that all 300 Filipino workers at the facility were released while the 69 Chinese workers were kept in custody and flown to Metro Manila via military aircraft. The embassy rejected claims that the nationals were undocumented, stating they hold valid specialized technical visas.

PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. firmly denied any claims of bias. "Our personnel acted strictly based on a lawful, court-issued search warrant," Nartatez stated. "We do not look at nationality; we look at the violations committed."

Meanwhile, legal counsel for Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation strongly contested the legality of the raid, claiming that authorities failed to present a physical warrant during the shutdown, coerced employees, and relied on sensationalized, unverified allegations regarding nuclear waste and POGO links.

The facility has been entirely closed and cordoned off as an active crime scene while forensic tracking of the raw materials continues.