The alleged Chinese spy arrested by authorities this week had been posing as a businessman to conceal his true intentions, a high-ranking military official said.
“This Chinese national has been residing in the Philippines for over 10 years, married to a Filipina, and established businesses in the country,” said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Margareth Padilla in an interview. “These businesses served as fronts to receive substantial funds for their illicit activities.”
Padilla revealed that the individual utilized high-precision equipment for topographic mapping and 3D modeling to gather data on military installations and critical infrastructure within the Philippines.
“This equipment was used to map and survey critical infrastructures, strategic areas including police and military camps, ports, and even malls, airports, seaports, and the country’s communication and energy grid,” she explained.
The AFP is committed to releasing further data recovered from the seized equipment after forensic analysis is complete, the official said.
AFP Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. stated that this was the second arrest of a suspected Chinese spy since last year. Forensic analysis of equipment seized in the previous arrest also revealed images of military and police camps in Manila.
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) are scheduled to meet following the said arrest.
According to PNP Public Information Office Acting Chief Police Colonel Randulf Tuaño, the PNP also continues to conduct its investigation to find out if the alleged Chinese spies caught by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recently, and those arrested in May 2024 are related cases.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) meanwhile said that the Chinese man nabbed for spying was married to a Filipina and has traveled in and out of the Philippines since 2015.
BI Commissioner Anthony Joel Viado said the bureau was able to obtain the details of Deng Yaunqing, who was arrested last week as part of counter-espionage operations that began last month.
The 39-year-old Chinese was arrested along with two Filipino accomplices on Friday in Makati City. The group allegedly visited military camps, bases, power plants, offices of local government units, police camps, seaports, airports, and shopping malls frequently.
They also visited Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites and collated data that they transmitted through a remote application on their equipment. Viado said that they have shared the information with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the NBI to support the investigation against the subject.
The BI chief said that they will be initiating deportation proceedings against him, to add to the other cases that will be filed against the man locally. He clarified that they will not implement deportation until all local accountability and penalties have been resolved and served.