SEN. Panfilo Lacson yesterday asked authorities to conduct follow-up operations against individuals arrested in anti-espionage operations, as he warned that Chinese “sleeper agents” and even operatives of the People’s Liberation Army are already embedded in the country conducting spying activities.
Lacson said the arrests of Chinese men suspected of conducting spying activities are proof of the spies’ existence in the Philippines. Some of the arrests were in Palawan province, Makati and Dumaguete cities, near the Commission on Elections office in Intramuros in Manila, and even at the vicinity of Camp Aguinaldo, the Armed Forces’ general headquarters, in Quezon City.
“The whole network of espionage operations must be dismantled or at least decimated to a large degree because agents come and go. You arrest someone, someone will replace him. And I have on good information that there are a lot of sleeper agents, even regular members of the PLA are already here,” Lacson said in a mix of Filipino and English during the first hearing of the Committee on National Defense on proposed amendments to the country’s decades-old anti-espionage law.
Ferdinand Lavin, deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), told senators the bureau has arrested 19 foreigners engaged in suspected espionage in at least six operations.
Of the 19, Lavin said, 13 were Chinese, one a Cambodian, and five were Filipinos who served either as guides, drivers, or aides.
Lacson said the arrested suspects should undergo “tactical interrogation” to squeeze out information, which will lead to follow-up operations against other suspected spies.
“We need continued pursuit operations. If we rest on our laurels, we become complacent, relaxed, but that is not supposed to be the case. The more we should pursue and be more vigilant in conducting intelligence and law enforcement operations,” he said.
Lacson also said the Anti-Money Laundering Council should freeze the assets of those involved in spying activities, like in the case of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo aka Guo Hua Ping.
PCG AUXILIARY
During the hearing, deputy minority leader Sen. Risa Hontiveros questioned what she said was the apparent laxity of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in vetting foreigners who join its auxiliary team.
Hontiveros said a classic example is the case of Joseph Sy, chairman of Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc., who was appointed to the PCG Auxiliary (PCGA) “executive squadron” with the rank of auxiliary commodore on July 26, 2018, even if he presented faked documents showing him to be a Filipino citizen.
Sy, 60, whose real name is Chen Zhong Zhen, was arrested by immigration agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as he arrived from Hong Kong on August 21.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Sy was carrying several identification cards showing he is a Filipino but its Alien Registration Division confirmed through fingerprint matching that he is a Chinese citizen who held a long-term visa and an Alien Certificate of Registration ID card.
Hontiveros said the country’s national security could have been compromised since Sy was allowed to join PCG meetings.
BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval said Sy, who the bureau identified as Chinese national Chen Zhing Zhen, “has been here for decades already and before 1992 that’s why he was able to get hold of a long-term visa.”
“His Chinese identity that I can confirm based on records that he has been here for long,” she also said in an interview with radio dzBB.
Sy’s company has sought his release noting that he is a holder of a valid Philippine passport.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Nickel Industry Association called the arrest unjust and unfair, adding that Sy has already proven that he is a Filipino citizen when he had an immigration case before.
But Sandoval said Sy’s case is different this time.
At that time, she said, there was no evidence. “It’s just person saying that this person is foreign national with no evidence presented or seen by the BI. But today, through government intelligence sources, nakakuha tayo ng pangalan ng Chinese name ng taong ito at nakita na ‘yung pangalan niya ay Chen Zhing Zhen (we got his Chinese name and his name is Chen Zhing Zhen),” she said.
Sandoval added that Sy’s photos, biometric information are one and the same with that of Zhen.
Sandoval said Sy could have used his long-term visa as a “short cut” instead of going through the process of naturalization if he wants to become a Filipino citizen.
SECURITY CLEARANCE
Capt. Xerxes Fernandez of the PCG said the PCG Auxiliary (PCGA) is socio-civic organization which helps the coast guard in search and rescue and coastal cleanup operations, among others, as most of its members are boat or shipping company owners.
Fernandez admitted the PCG has no strict vetting process or its applicants were required to present security clearances before they can join the PCGA.
“They don’t have any security clearance, sir, because they should not be privy to any law enforcement or security functions of the Philippine Coast Guard. They are just there to help us in safety and environmental protection, sir,” Fernandez said after Sen. Ronald dela Rosa asked if the PCGA members are strictly screened.
Fernandez said he “could not say categorically” if the PCGA members do not pose a threat to the country’s national security since they “are also attending some of our functions.”
“And, you know, sir, intelligence can be gathered from different sources. Even from simple conversation, if you are really a well-trained agent, sir, you can gather intelligence,” Fernandez said.
DELISTED
He also said the PCG has delisted 36 PCGA members since the past administration up to last year, adding that Sy was also dropped from the rolls of the PCGA last week.
“Because when we dug deeper into their backgrounds, I think their citizenship was kind of shaky. So, it was prudent to delist them rather than having them in the list of PCGA,” he added.
He said the foreign PCGA members slipped past through their vetting process “as they hold documents that can pass off as legal documents” and “during that time, there were no perceived threats from interference from foreign agents.”
“But right now, we see that there’s creeping intrusion into our security environment or security infrastructure. That’s why the Philippine Coast Guard is now stepping up its vetting process in accepting Philippine Coast Guard auxiliary members,” he said.
He said they are reviewing the list of PCGA members to check if there are any Chinese nationals who are still in the list.
“Our PCG manual then, sir, was not yet stringent, sir. But right now, sir, we’re drafting more stringent measures on how to vet those members of the PCGA. Because the PCG during that time, I think, even accepted foreign nationals because this (PCGA) is a socio-civic organization. This is not really an organic portion of the Philippine Coast Guard,” he added.
SPYWARE
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said the government should be vigilant in checking foreign-donated equipment for possible spyware.
“Maybe we can add it in the bill that there should be a component in the bill or a section which will recall all donated articles or items, materials from other countries that are hostile to the Philippines,” Zubiri said.
He recalled that during previous briefings, national security officials admitted that China donated hundreds of computers to the PNP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which he said is a national security concern.
He said that one of the turnover ceremonies was even attended by the Chinese ambassador, which was widely covered by the media.
“That was in 2020, or 2021, before the elections … So, I recall that we had several discussions at that time with the head of NICA [National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency], together with the AFO intelligence group…that they are going to replace all those computer. I have no knowledge if they were replaced),” he said.
Zubiri asked the panel to conduct more hearings since there were no heads of agencies to answer his queries. – With Ashzel Hachero
