MANILA - Agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested a Chinese fugitive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 earlier this week.

Weng Wenmin, 51, was intercepted at the immigration departure area on Tuesday, the bureau told media men on Thursday.

BI port operations division chief Marc Red Mariñas said Weng was supposed to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Hong Kong. He presented himself for inspection at the BI departure counter, but the duty immigration officer noticed in the computer database that Weng's details "exactly matched" those of a Chinese national who was issued a watchlist order by the BI.

The database showed that BI Commissioner Jaime Morente issued the watchlist order against Weng last April 20, based on information that the latter is a fugitive and an undesirable alien.

Weng was immediately turned over to the BI's border monitoring and security unit, and thereafter brought to the bureau's detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, where he is now held pending deportation proceedings.

Immigration violation charges had been filed by the BI legal division against Weng last April 19 "for being an undocumented alien and for posing a risk to public interest." This was two days after the Chinese embassy's police attaché informed the bureau that Weng is a fugitive "wanted for economic crimes in China" and that his passport had been canceled by the Chinese government.

The working visa Weng obtained from the BI was "deemed revoked as he had become an undocumented alien," the BI explained.