According to a National Security Council (NSC) official, the Philippine government has implemented “effective counterintelligence efforts” to address the activities of foreign spies operating within the country.
This statement came a day after a House panel discussed a documentary alleging the presence of Chinese sleeper agents in the Philippines.
NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya, however, clarified that the country’s counter-intelligence operations are not limited to China’s Ministry of State Security (PRC-MSS) but also target other foreign intelligence activities.
In response to a documentary featuring She Zhijiang, a self-confessed PRC-MSS agent, Malaya emphasized the need for caution, stating that Zhijiang’s credibility is questionable given his status as a wanted criminal and leader of an international crime syndicate.
“We have yet to validate the information mentioned (in the documentary), considering that the person is not entirely credible,” Malaya said.
The national security official declined to comment on dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s possible involvement in Chinese spies’ operations in the Philippines, noting that “criminal cases have already been filed against her while investigation on her other illegal activities continue.”
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assured the public that they have “contingency plans in place” in response to reports of foreign spy operations in the country.
“Our intelligence operatives are doing their roles in this. We are getting all the information that we need,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said.
Al Jazeera recently reported that She Zhijiang admitted to being recruited as a Chinese spy in 2016 while in the Philippines. Zhijiang claimed that Guo had solicited his financial support for her mayoral campaign in Bamban, further alleging that she possessed significant knowledge of China’s espionage operations in the country.
Guo has since denied the accusations and expressed her intent to file formal charges against Zhijiang.
