MANILA – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was urged to identify the officials behind the acceptance at least 36 Chinese nationals as members of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA).
According to Surigao del Norte 2nd District’s Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the said PCG officials should be held accountable as they seemed to be protecting China’s interest.
Barbers’ statement came after it was revealed by PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan that they recently terminated the contracts of Chinese nationals serving as brigadier general and commandant at PCGA.
“Nuong panahon ng Hapon sa Pilipinas, meron tayong mga Makapili. Ngayon, meron na rin umano tayong mga Makabagong Makapili na nagsisilbi sa interes ng China sa ating bansa,” Barbers said.
Added the lawmaker: “Panahon na para imbestigahan at kilalanin ang umano’y mga walang kunsensya at taksil sa bayan na mga ito.”
Barbers also suggested that the recruited Chinese may be businessmen or tourists who wanted to stay longer in the country.
“The Chinese nationals were with the PCGA for more or less three years. Did the PCG conduct due diligence on these nationals? Obviously, there’s none,” Barbers said.
“I have received reports that the Chinese recruits tagged along senior PCG officials during routine and official patrol missions at the disputed West Philippine Sea so they could even be spies who gathered the strategies and missions of the PCG,” he added.
PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, however, said there was no strong basis to conclude that these Chinese nationals recruited into the auxiliary force were spies.
“The PCG had a vetting process when the Chinese applied. They have been helping the Coast Guard for a long time but for humanitarian assistance and donations only,” Balilo said./PN
