Philippine Army Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. called the five alleged Chinese spies as ‘just the tip of the iceberg.’
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has voiced concerns over a string of espionage cases involving Chinese nationals, a situation that has left officials in Manila on high alert.
“We are very disturbed by anyone conducting such espionage operations against our military,” Marcos told reporters on Jan. 31.
His remarks came a day after intelligence and law enforcement officials apprehended five Chinese nationals in the latest spy case. These suspects were allegedly using military-grade cameras and drones to surveil sensitive Philippine defense installations.
These individuals allegedly posing as buyers of seafood products roamed through Puerto Princesa, a city on the western island of Palawan, a region that faces the contested South China Sea. However, according to the National Bureau of Investigation, the intelligence service
alleged that these individuals had frequently visited Palawan’s Ulugan Bay, where they were “conducting aerial surveillance and reconnaissance” and “collecting imagery intelligence” on a naval detachment in Barangay Bahile, in the southwestern area of the bay.
Authorities recovered equipment from the suspects that contained footage and photos of ports, coast guard stations, and vessels, as well as naval crafts and docks.
National security adviser Eduardo Ano described the group’s activities as “serious concerns that warrant a firm and coordinated response.”
“This operation also underscores the need for continued vigilance and proactive counterintelligence measures to detect and disrupt any attempts at espionage within our borders,” Ano said in a
statement on Jan. 31.
The suspected were identified as Cai Shaohuang, Cheng Hai Tao, Wu Cheng Ting, Wang Yong Yi, and Wu Chin Ren, all of whom are associated with two civil organizations: Qiaoxing Volunteer Group of the Philippines and the Philippine China Association of Promotion of Peace and Friendship, Inc.
These arrests took place on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25, just a week after a Chinese engineer was
apprehended for espionage. Identified as Deng Yuanqing, the 39-year-old man allegedly surveilled critical infrastructure in Manila, including military installations, in the guise of conducting research for a self-driving car company. Two Filipinos believed to be Deng’s accomplices were also arrested on Jan. 17.
Philippine Army Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed at a
press conference on Jan. 30 that the two espionage cases are related.
When asked whether these activities were sponsored by state actors in China, Brawner said: “We cannot conclude that. What we are focusing on is the act itself.”
He
described the arrest of the five alleged spies as “just the tip of the iceberg.”
“There are more of them,” Brawner said. “The reason why we’re coming out with this information … we want our Filipino members of the society to be aware that these things are happening, so that they can help us monitor” and report any suspicious activities they believe are connected to espionage, he said.
“We are in the process of building up the intelligence against these other activities,” Brawner said.
The series of espionage cases arises amid escalating tensions between Manila and Beijing over overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea. As the Chinese Communist Party takes a more aggressive stance in asserting its claims,
confrontations between Chinese and Filipino forces have turned violent in the past several months, sparking
fears of a larger conflict that could disrupt global trade.
