President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. conveyed his serious apprehension on Friday regarding the apprehension of five Chinese individuals suspected of conducting surveillance on Philippine Navy and Coast Guard assets in Palawan.
“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 an ambush interview in Pasay City.
The President indicated that he is awaiting additional information concerning the activities of the suspects, highlighting that some of them have resided in the country for an extended period.
“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,” the President said.
“Kailangan, kung sakali, baka naman pagka nakausap natin sila masabi sa atin baka meron pang mga iba na maaari nating puntahan, pag-explain-in kung ano yung kanilang ginagawa,” he added.
On Thursday, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported the arrest of these five Chinese nationals following their return from Palawan, where they purportedly engaged in aerial reconnaissance.
The NBI classified the suspects as a field commander, two intelligence agents, a financier, and a team member.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago disclosed that the suspects allegedly employed drones to obtain detailed images of Philippine Navy vessels.
These arrests were made after an earlier operation that resulted in the detention of another Chinese national and two Filipinos on suspicion of espionage.
NBI Cybercrime Division chief Jeremy Lotoc stated that the bureau had received intelligence indicating that a group of Chinese individuals, masquerading as product purchasers, had been frequently observed in Ulugan Bay, Puerto Princesa, a strategically significant naval area. (ZIA LUNA)
