Philippines Detains Israelis Among Foreign Nationals in Siargao for Visa Overstay, Illegal Work Violations - Deportation Looms

29/06/2026

MANILA, Jun 29: Philippine immigration authorities have arrested 10 foreign nationals on the popular island of Siargao for alleged immigration violations, including visa overstays and working without proper permits.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the arrests were carried out during an operation on June 26 following reports of foreigners allegedly engaging in unauthorized employment and commercial activities.

Among those detained were four Israeli nationals. Immigration officials said two of them, identified as Ben Yeshaya Menahem Mendel Rafael and Aharon Ida, both aged 22, had overstayed their visas while allegedly working at an Israeli restaurant and managing a Jewish center. Authorities said the pair also failed to present their passports during the operation.

Another Israeli national, Abeve Tewabel, 23, was arrested for allegedly working without proper documents and had previously been tagged as an undesirable alien following an earlier arrest by local authorities.

Etay Harari, 51, was also arrested for allegedly working as a disc jockey without the required labor and immigration permits.

The operation also resulted in the arrest of an Australian national, Lauren Elizabeth Fornazieri, 34, who was accused of overstaying in the Philippines for nine years while working at a Siargao hotel.

Other foreigners detained included Lithuanian national Edgar Drozdov, 39, who was allegedly found managing a resort and working as a food delivery rider without permits; Nigerian national Bill James Augustine, 27, accused of working illegally as a dog trainer; and Moroccan national Larbi Oirdi, 23, who was arrested as an undesirable alien over previous local charges.

Chinese nationals Zhu Guifu, 36, and Chen Anqi, 31, were also arrested after immigration officials said they had overstayed and had existing blacklist records linked to previous violations.

The 10 foreign nationals were transferred to the Bureau of Immigration detention facility in Manila, where they will remain while facing deportation proceedings and other immigration cases.