The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou is providing all necessary assistance, including appropriate legal support, for the three Filipinos arrested for alleged spying in China.
“Protecting the rights and interests of the said Filipinos remains the prime priority for the Philippine Government,” DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a statement. She however did not provide personal details of the detained individuals.
“The Department has conveyed to the Chinese Government to ensure that these allegations are tried with due process and with full respect to the rights of the said Filipinos in accordance with domestic law and the Philippines-China Consular Agreement,” she added.
Chinese state-run news outlet Global Times earlier reported that three Filipino nationals have been arrested for alleged espionage, particularly on the information of the country’s military deployment.
“China’s state security authorities have uncovered a case of Filipino espionage and apprehended three Filipino nationals suspected of spying in the country,” Global Times posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“The investigation revealed that Philippine intelligence agencies have long been focused on gathering information about China’s military deployments,” it added.
The arrests follow a travel warning issued by the Chinese embassy in Manila to its citizens about frequent “harassment” from Philippine law enforcement agencies.
It also comes in the wake of arrests made by Philippine authorities of at least five Chinese nationals on suspicion of espionage in January and another two in February.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Philippines assures legal aid for 3 Filipinos arrested in China.”