Says confession released by state media ‘scripted’

The National Security Council has expressed alarm over the arrest of three Filipino nationals for suspected espionage in China, saying the action “can be seen as a retaliation” after at least seven Chinese suspected spies were nabbed in the Philippines.

“They are law-abiding citizens with no criminal records and were vetted and screened by the Chinese government prior to their arrival there,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said in a statement on Saturday.

“Given the limited information released by Chinese media, the arrests can be seen as a retaliation for the series of legitimate arrests of Chinese agents and accomplices by Philippine law enforcement and counterintelligence agencies in recent months,” he added.

The announcement of the arrest of the three Filipinos – two male and one female – followed a travel warning issued by the Chinese embassy in Manila to its citizens about frequent “harassment” from Philippine law enforcement agencies.

It also came 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.

Malaya also questioned the edited video released by Chinese media showing alleged “confessions” by the Filipinos, who were reportedly arrested in October last year.

He said the clip “raises more questions than answers” as a portion of one of the Filipinos’ statements, while expressing regret, “also notably portrayed China in a positive light.”

“There was also mention of a ‘Philippine Intelligence Agency’ or ‘Philippine Spy Intelligence Services,’ which is a non-existing government agency. The ‘confessions’ appear to be scripted, strongly suggesting that they were not made freely.”

“We urge the Chinese government to respect their rights and afford them every opportunity to clear their names in the same way that the rights of Chinese nationals are respected here in the Philippines,” Malaya added.

The arrested Filipinos are former recipients of the Hainan Government Scholarship Program established under a sisterhood agreement between the provinces of Hainan and Palawan, which provided scholarships to 50 scholars from Palawan at the Hainan National University.

At that time, Malaya said, they only went to China at the invitation of the Chinese government to study.

Palawan provincial board member Ryan Maminta added: “Their intention was really just to study and most of all to help their families. Before they were sent there for work, they told the provincial board about their experiences there and that they were happy they were able to study because of this program.”

In a separate interview with ABS-CBN News, DLSU

international relations expert Professor Renato de Castro said the three Filipinos were being held “hostage” and would likely be used for a possible swap for the arrested Chinese nationals in the Philippines.

“I doubt it that the Armed Forces of the Philippines or even the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency conducts foreign intelligence operations that are primarily clandestine in operation. We don’t have the capability – our intelligence agency is focused on domestic intelligence operation,” De Castro said

“They would arrest and detain innocent Filipinos so they could exchange them for alleged Chinese intelligence operatives who were arrested with overwhelming evidence,” he added.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “NSC questions espionage charges vs 3 Filipinos in China.”