President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed concern on Friday, calling the arrest of five Chinese nationals, allegedly involved in espionage activities in the Philippines, "very disturbing."
In an ambush interview with the media in Pasay City, Marcos said that any espionage operation targeting military facilities in the country is a serious threat.
"Yes, of course, we are very disturbed by anyone conducting such espionage operations against our military," said Marcos.
Marcos noted that some of the arrested individuals had been living in the Philippines for an extended period, referring to them as "sleepers." He also mentioned that some had even married Filipino women.
The Philippine government clarified that there is no official dialogue with China while stressing that investigative agencies actively pursue more information regarding the arrested foreign nationals.
On Thursday, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) presented to the media the Chinese nationals recently arrested for alleged involvement in illegal intelligence gathering.
The group is reportedly involved in aerial reconnaissance using drones to gather information on the Philippines' naval assets and other sensitive information.
Furthermore, the suspects were repeatedly spotted in Ulugan Bay, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, conducting aerial surveillance and collecting intelligence on the Naval Detachment Oyster Bay (NDOB) in Barangay Bahile, a strategic Philippine Navy base near the South China Sea.
Mobile devices seized from the Chinese nationals revealed images of Buliluyan ports, Coast Guard stations, vessels, small navy crafts, and docks.
Images of the Philippine Navy’s Del Pilar Class PS 16, terrain maps of Subic Bay International Airport and Naval Operating Base Subic, as well as a screenshot showing a Chinese character and an arrow pointing from Barreto, Olongapo to the Naval Operating Base Subic, were also discovered.
Additionally, investigators uncovered footage of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels BRP Theresa Magbanua and BRP Gabriela Silang docked at the PCG-Maritime Safety Service Unit NCR-Cluster.
From January 24 to 25, NBI agents conducted a series of hot-pursuit operations that led to the successful apprehension of the Chinese nationals.
The arrest is related to a prior operation on January 17, which resulted in the capture of a Chinese national and two Filipinos accused of illegal surveillance and espionage.
