Supreme Court Order Triggers Release of Former Nickel Executive Joseph Sy from Immigration Detention

Former Global Ferronickel Holdings Incorporated chairman Joseph Sy is slated for release from immigration detention after the Supreme Court issued an order mandating his freedom, the Bureau of Immigration said on Monday. Sy was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in August 2025 when officials alleged he was a Chinese citizen, Cheng Zhong Zhen, who had illegally obtained Philippine citizenship papers, citing a fingerprint match.

A Taguig City Regional Trial Court ordered his release in September 2025, but the BI kept him detained while appealing; the Court of Appeals later affirmed his release in February 2026 based on a valid Philippine birth certificate. Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the bureau is working with the Department of Justice and the Office of the Solicitor General to carry out the Supreme Court directive, emphasizing that the order concerns only his detention, not a final ruling on his citizenship. Sy resigned from Global Ferronickel’s board in December 2025, citing personal reasons, after having taken leave following his arrest.