The Filipino wife of the Chinese national who was arrested for supposed espionage vehemently denied on Monday that her husband was a spy.
At the Pandesal Forum, Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City, Noemi Deng said her husband—Deng Yuanqing—is just involved in surveys for a company specializing in self-driven cars. She added he has been peacefully staying in the Philippines for more than 10 years.
“Qing does not know how to make friends. As far as I remember, when I was in China, his friends were just his classmates. Here in the Philippines, (he knows) only a few. He rarely goes out, does not drink or smoke. So, I was really surprised when he was labeled a spy,” Mrs. Deng told reporters in Tagalog.
She also said Mr. Deng has “no friends,” “no connections,” and was “scared of authorities.”
In between tears, Mrs. Deng said she came out in public to appeal on behalf of her husband. She is worried because their last conversation was on January 19, even as her husband assured her that everything is gonna be alright. The two are in a relationship since 2014.
She stood her ground that “he is not a spy” amid the rift between the Philippines and China over the West Philippine Sea territorial issue.
Mrs. Deng said she could not provide details of the professional background of her husband beyond the information that he was working for a tech company. She raised fear for the welfare of their eight-year-old son, who is already looking for his father.
On Jan. 17, authorities arrested Mr. Deng and two others on allegations of espionage. A set of navigational equipment was found in his car. He is currently detained at a Department of Justice (DOJ) facility, according to his wife.
Teresita Ang See of the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order said the confiscated equipment could only be bought from online sellers. “I have talked to experts,” she said.
Ferdinand Topacio, the couple’s legal counsel, said Deng Yuanqing was just an ordinary person.
“All that he was carrying with him at the time of his arrest were huge gadgets at the back of his car. Those were the ones he was using to survey. Surveillance equipment must not be that big. It must be a pioneer in technology,” he said.