Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Navy has sounded the alarm over what it described as a “trend of espionage” in the past two years following the arrests of suspected Chinese spies in Zambales and Bohol – one of them a Mongolian pilot with military background tied to China’s People’s Liberation Army.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Feb. 24, navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad gave a litany of arrests and apprehensions of Chinese nationals since 2024, mostly in locations strategic to Philippine military facilities or proximate to the West Philippine Sea, including in Subic and Palawan.
“The recent arrest of a Chinese national in Panglao Bohol who was trying to misrepresent himself with a fake Philippine driver’s license and the arrest of a Mongolian recently in Zambales with a questionable background follows a trend for the past two years from China who have been allegedly involved in espionage in country,” Trinidad told journalists.
“This will include a mayor with a dubious background, a Chinese national conducting mapping and eavesdropping using electronic equipment,” the navy official said, referring to former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.
Another Guo was arrested last week by immigration authorities for alleged misrepresentation of identity. The suspect, Jingjin Guo, falsely declared his nationality as a Filipino on his driver’s license, and is the director of the Overseas Chinese Service Center in Cebu and Bohol – an organization with links to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Works, the National Bureau of Investigation earlier said.
Guo’s arrest came just days after that of a Mongolian national posing as a student in an aviation school in Zambales but had been taking aerial photos of military facilities. Authorities found that the Mongolian had a jet fighter license from the Chinese PLA Air Force Aviation University.
The other apprehensions involved “those installing monitoring devices on approaches to Ulugan bay, and “those arrested in Grande Island and Chiquita Island in Subic,” Trinidad said.
“What happened recently follows a trend of these people who were arrested allegedly involved in espionage. We leave it to proper courts to determine their liability,” he said.
“But yes, there’s a trend,” the navy official said, pointing out that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has beefed up intelligence coordination with other agencies.
