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Emmanuel Tupas - The Philippine Star
May 11, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has put in place measures against possible espionage activities tomorrow, taking no chances for foreign interference on election day.
At a news forum yesterday, PNP public information officer Col. Randulf Tuano said their Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) has been tapped to thwart attempts to illegally gather data related to the elections.
Tuano assured the public that Commission on Elections offices as well as polling precincts are protected from espionage.
“The ACG is among those that will patrol during the election because we have the capability to monitor those kinds of espionage activities,” he said.
Last month, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested a Chinese national near the Comelec central office in Manila in possession of an international mobile subscriber identity catcher, a surveillance device capable of intercepting mobile communications.
Two more Chinese men were apprehended in Baliwag, Bulacan on Wednesday for possessing electronic equipment and communication devices believed to be capable of intercepting information.
In Quezon City, police are investigating a Chinese national who rented a house in Barangay Batasan Hills where text blasters and other scamming devices were discovered.
At least 161,000 police officers, or about 68 percent of the 235,000-strong PNP, have been deployed on the ground as of yesterday. They are backed by more than 37,000 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard and other government agencies.
Maj. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, Directorate for Police Community Relations director, said more than 3,000 police officers, trained as special election boards, are ready should the Comelec ask for their assistance.
Alba said PNP is 100 percent ready for the elections as they have contingency plans in place for possible scenarios such as vote snatching, vote buying, violence in polling precincts and even failure of elections.
