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February 15, 2026 | 6:08pm
The 30-year-old Mongolian national nabbed by the Bureau of Immigration on Feb. 12, 2026, for alleged espionage activities.
Bureau of Immigration / Released
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration has arrested a Mongolian national due to alleged espionage activities in Zambales.
In a statement on Sunday, February 15, the Bureau of Immigration said that Boldbaatar Bold-Erdene, 30, was arrested on February 12 at an aviation academy in Barangay Lipay Dingin, Iba, Zambales.
According to the bureau, intelligence records revealed that Bold-Erdene is a highly trained pilot with an extensive military background.
He is a graduate of the Defense University of Mongolia and the Civil Aviation University of China. Most notably, he obtained a license as a jet fighter pilot from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force Aviation University and previously served as a soldier with fighter aircraft combat experience.
Authorities raised alarms over his presence in Zambales due to its strategic proximity to the West Philippine Sea.
Specifically, his training activities in Iba are located roughly 120 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, a disputed maritime area currently under Chinese control.
The bureau said that the investigation into Bold-Erdene intensified after he reportedly conducted unauthorized reconnaissance during solo flight exercises.
Surveillance footage and seized data on the Mongolian national indicate that he took aerial photographs of Iba Airport and the nearby Palauig River area, located approximately five nautical miles from the airport.
Security officials noted that Palauig is the Philippine municipality closest to the disputed shoal, raising concerns that the suspect was using his status as a student pilot to gather intelligence or conduct surveillance under the guise of training flights.
The bureau has officially tagged Bold-Erdene as an undesirable alien. He is accused of violating the Philippine Immigration Act by engaging in activities inconsistent with his visa and Special Study Permit.
Authorities also allege that he entered the country through fraud or misrepresentation by failing to disclose his prior military affiliation and fighter aviation training in his application.
Following the arrest, Bold-Erdene was transported to the Bureau of Immigration Main Office in Manila for booking, medical examination and biometric processing.
He is currently being held at the Bureau of Immigration Warden Facility pending formal deportation proceedings and further investigation into his suspected links to foreign intelligence operations.
