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Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner (front R), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief Jaime Santiago (front C) and undersecretary of the Department of Justice Raul Vasquez (front L) wait to start the presentation of five arrested alleged Chinese spies (back row) at a press conference at the NBI office in Manila on Jan. 30, 2025.
AFP / Ted Aljibe
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' National Security Council (NSC) has called the arrest of three Filipino nationals in China on espionage charges as apparent retaliation for recent legitimate arrests of Chinese agents in the Philippines.
In a statement released Saturday, NSC Assistant Director-General Jonathan Malaya expressed alarm over the detentions, saying the three individuals were "ordinary Filipino citizens with no military training" who had previously studied in China through government scholarships.
The NSC raised serious concerns about video evidence released by Chinese media supposedly showing confessions from the arrested Filipinos. According to Malaya, the edited footage "raises more questions than answers" and appears to be scripted.
"A portion of one of the Filipino's statements, while expressing regret, also notably portrayed China in a positive light," Malaya said.
"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," he added.
Scholars, not spies. The three detained individuals were former recipients of the Hainan Government Scholarship Program established under a sisterhood agreement between China's Hainan province and the Philippines' Palawan province.
The program provided scholarships for 50 students from Palawan to study at Hainan National University.
"They are law-abiding citizens with no criminal records and were vetted and screened by the Chinese government prior to their arrival there," Malaya said. "They merely went to China at the invitation of the Chinese government to study."
Retaliatory measure. The NSC explicitly linked the arrests to recent security operations in the Philippines.
"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 counter-intelligence agencies in recent months," Malaya said.
The statement did not provide specific details about the recent arrests of Chinese nationals in the Philippines that might have prompted this alleged retaliation.
The Philippine government has pledged to prioritize the safety and well-being of its detained citizens, with Malaya stating they will coordinate closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in Beijing.
"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," the NSC statement read.
The council has also called on Filipinos to "remain vigilant and discerning" and to "stand united in our commitment to truth, justice, and adherence to international law while prioritizing the well-being of our citizens abroad." — with reports from Cristina Chi
