Manila: Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino on Tuesday highlighted the arrest of a Chinese national allegedly in possession of surveillance equipment near the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Manila as a confirmation of earlier warnings regarding foreign interference in the upcoming elections. The arrest, carried out by the National Bureau of Investigation, took place on Tuesday, with spy equipment discovered in the suspect's vehicle parked outside Comelec's main office in Intramuros.

According to Philippines News Agency, Tolentino emphasized the significance of finding an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catcher inside the suspect's vehicle, citing it as direct evidence of covert operations in progress. He remarked that this development validates the findings from last week's Senate inquiry, which uncovered efforts by China to interfere in the Philippines' democratic processes.

In his statement, Tolentino asserted, "The arrest reinforces what we revealed -- that there is an active attempt to undermine our elections," and commended the NBI for its timely and critical action in thwarting what he referred to as an "insidious plan" to advance Beijing's agenda. As the principal author of Senate Bill No. 2951, known as the proposed Counter Foreign Interference Act, Tolentino is advocating for stronger legislation to modernize the country's outdated anti-espionage framework, which dates back to the Commonwealth era.

Tolentino concluded by expressing confidence that with vigilance from the government, intelligence community, and the public, any malevolent attempts to compromise democracy will inevitably fail.