Philippine NSC chief pushes espionage law amendment after Chinese suspect arrested

The arrest of the Chinese national and two suspected Filipino accomplices comes amid bilateral tensions over South China Sea.
Jason Gutierrez
2025.01.21
Manila
Philippine NSC chief pushes espionage law amendment after Chinese suspect arrested The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation presents three individuals suspected of spying, including a Chinese national, at the Department of Justice in Manila, Jan. 20, 2025.
BenarNews/National Bureau of Investigation

The Philippines’ top security official pushed for the speedy passage of amendments to the country’s anti-spying law after authorities arrested a suspected Chinese operative and his Filipino accomplices.

The arrest of Chinese national Yuanqing Deng on Jan. 17 was a “stark reminder” of threats to the Philippines, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said.

Manila is locked in a territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea. Earlier, Filipino security officials had warned that China may have been involved in espionage operations in the Philippines, after a former mayor suspected of spying for China was arrested in September.

“Strengthening our legal framework is essential to effectively address evolving security threats and to ensure that those who seek to compromise our national security will face the full force of the law,” Año said in a statement on Tuesday.

Año urged Congress “to prioritize the passage of the amendments to the Espionage Act as well as the Countering Foreign Interference and Malign Influence bill.” 

Enacted in June 1941, Commonwealth Act No. 616 punishes espionage and other offenses against national security. However, the law is only effective in times of war.

“The recent apprehensions highlight the need for continuous vigilance, strengthened coordination among government agencies, and proactive measures to fortify our national security framework,” Año said.

Philippine authorities said that Deng, a software engineer, and two Filipinos – Ronel Jojo Besa and Jayson Amado Fernandez – had used a vehicle with spy equipment to move around Metro Manila and the greater Luzon area between Dec. 16 and Jan. 16.

The group was “conducting detailed scouting, collating comprehensive images of the terrains and structures and the overall topography of the potential targets, without consent and authority from the Philippine government,” the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Monday.

According to authorities, Deng and his two Filipino associates were allegedly part of a six-member team, but the three others –including a financier identified only as Wang – were not arrested and believed to be currently in China.

An initial investigation showed that Deng was affiliated with the PLA University Science and Technology, a university in Jiangsu province operated by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Philippine officials said. 

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately comment on the arrest, but said it had relayed all press requests to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. 

In April, the embassy denied rumors about alleged Chinese “sleeper cells” in the Philippines, calling them “malicious” and “groundless.”

“We urge relevant parties in the Philippines to … stop spinning false narratives and arousing anti-China sentiments,” it said.

In September, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. urged lawmakers to amend the anti-espionage law to include peacetime activities, in light of accusations that former town mayor Alice Guo – who had been arrested by authorities for alleged ties to Chinese criminal syndicates and money laundering – was spying for China.

‘Calculated move’

Following the arrest of the Chinese national and two accomplices, Philippine military officials said foreign agents may be conducting surveillance activities in the country.

“[T]here seems to be an orchestrated move by a foreign power to gather critical information in the maritime domain and on critical government infrastructures,” said Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea.

The West Philippine Sea is Manila’s name for South China Sea waters within its exclusive economic zone. 

Trinidad also noted the recovery of a suspected Chinese underwater drone in central Masbate province last month, the arrest of Chinese nationals with alleged fake Philippine identification cards and birth certificates last year, and Guo’s capture.

“If we look at the entire expanse of the country, covering the different instruments of national power and start connecting the dots, there seems now to be a deliberate and calculated move to map out the country by a foreign power,” Trinidad said.


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