• Military
• WMD

• Intelligence Menu               

• Systems
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Imagery
• Links

• Homeland Security
• Space

Marcos 'very disturbed' by alleged Chinese spies' ops in PH

Philippine News Agency

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
January 31, 2025, 3:54 pm

MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday said he is "very disturbed" by the alleged espionage activities of five Chinese nationals in the Philippines.

"That's why we arrested them. Of course, we are very disturbed by anyone conducting such espionage operations against our military," Marcos told reporters in Pasay City, when asked about the alleged presence of Chinese spies in the country.

Marcos said the Philippine government has no official contact with China but stressed that investigative services are looking for more information about the arrested foreigners.

"The investigative services are still developing more information to see exactly what these five have been --- what operations they have been doing while they have been here in the Philippines," he said.

"Dahil 'yung iba matagal nang nandito, nakapangasawa na ng Pilipina. Sleeper talaga. 'Yung tinatawag na sleeper. Kailangan, kung sakali, baka naman kapag nakausap natin sila, masabi sa atin baka meron pang mga iba na puwede nating mapuntahan, pag-explain-in kung ano ang kanilang talagang ginagawa (Because the others have been here for a long time, they have married Filipinas. They're sleepers. They are called sleepers. We need, just in case, maybe when we talk to them, they can tell us maybe there are others we can go to, explain what they're really doing)," Marcos added.

Top officials from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday presented to the media the five Chinese nationals suspected of engaging in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations in the country.

Also presented were supposed video footage from drones and military-grade, high-resolution video cameras disguised to look like civilian security closed circuit TVs (CCTVs).

The five Chinese suspects were identified as Cai Shaohuang, Cheng Hai Tao, Wu Cheng Ting, Wang Yong Yi and Wu Chin Ren.

AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said data collected from the solar-powered video cameras were "being sent real-time" to a remote location.

Photos recovered include images on the Naval Detachment Oyster Bay in Brgy. Bahile in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, which is part of the Philippine Navy's Naval Forces West (Navforwest) positioned near the contested West Philippine Sea.

Other images show the Philippine Navy's Del Pilar Class offshore patrol vessel BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS 16), maps overlooking the Subic Bay International Airport, and Naval Operating Base Subic.

There were also footages of the Philippine Coast Guard vessels BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Gabriela Silang docked in the PCG Maritime Safety Service Unit NCR-Cluster, officials said.

The arrests were made following pursuit operations on Jan. 24 to 25 in Palawan, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. (PNA)