MANILA – The arrest of five Chinese nationals suspected of spying on Philippine Navy and Coast Guard assets in Palawan is disturbing, said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The Chief Executive is awaiting further details on the suspects’ activities, noting that some of them had been in the country for a long time.
“That’s why we arrested them. Of course, we are very disturbed by anyone conducting such espionage operations against our military,” President Marcos told the media over the weekend.
“The investigative services are still developing more information to see exactly… what operations they have been doing while they have been here in the Philippines. Dahil ‘yung iba matagal nang nandito, nakapangasawa na ng mga Pilipina. Sleeper talaga. Yung tinatawag na sleeper,” he added.
“Kailangan, kung sakali, baka naman pagkanakausap natin sila masabi sa atin baka meron pang mga iba na maaari nating puntahan, pag-explain-nin kung ano yung kanilang ginagawa,” he further said.
On Thursday, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported the apprehension of five Chinese individuals upon their return from Palawan, where they are accused of engaging in aerial surveillance activities.
NBI director Jaime Santiago named the individuals as a field commander, two intelligence agents, a financier, and an associate. They are alleged to have utilized drones to obtain detailed images of Philippine Navy ships.
These arrests were a continuation of an earlier operation that resulted in the detention of another Chinese national and two Filipinos on suspicion of espionage./PN
