MANILA (Bloomberg): The Philippine military said a "foreign power” could be attempting to map out the Southeast Asian nation, following the arrest of a suspected Chinese spy last week and the recovery of several drones in its waters.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has observed a "pattern” in these recent developments, along with reports of foreign nationals using fake IDs and birth certificates, Navy spokesperson Roy Vincent Trinidad said at a briefing on Tuesday.
"There now seems to be a deliberate and calculated move to map out the country by a foreign power,” Trinidad said. While the official declined to provide details pending investigations, he pointed out that the recently arrested foreign national is of Chinese origin.
Manila is raising concerns over suspected espionage activities, as tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea persist. The presence of a huge Chinese ship, known as "The Monster,” near Philippine shores has recently emerged as a new source of friction between the two nations’ maritime dispute.
The suspected Chinese spy held trips across the main Luzon island for over a month from December and surveyed areas including military installations, ports as well as communication and power grids, Armed Forces spokesperson Francel Padilla said in the same briefing.
"Any foreign power who would like to take advantage of a country would need information - political, economic and military information,” Trinidad said.
China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrested Chinese spy and retrieved drones.
The discovery of a local official with a "dubious” background could also be linked to these incidents, Trinidad also said, in an apparent reference to the case of embattled ex-Mayor Alice Guo.
The politician has maintained that she is a Filipino citizen, and has denied allegations of money laundering and human trafficking through China-centric online casinos.
Philippine lawmakers should prioritize amendments to the nation’s anti-espionage law to address evolving security threats, National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said in a separate statement.
The arrest of the suspected Chinese spy and his cohorts "is a stark reminder of the persistent threats posed by foreign interference,” he added.
--With assistance from Neil Jerome Morales. -- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
