Manila: Surveillance of Philippine vessels en route to the West Philippine Sea may be part of a wider and coordinated espionage operation tied to Chinese maritime forces, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) told a Senate panel on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, who chairs the Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, raised the alarm over intelligence reports that Chinese vessels were aware of Philippine resupply missions even before the ships departed from Palawan. This suggests possible coordination with foreign nationals recently arrested for suspected spying.
Lawyer Van Homer Angluben, executive officer of the NBI Cybercrime Division, reported during the hearing that the so-called "Palawan 5" were conducting surveillance on Philippine vessels heading to the West Philippine Sea. Angluben shared that military sources indicated Chinese vessels had prior knowledge of the resupply missions before Philippine ships even left Palawan.
The "Palawan 5" refers to five Chinese nationals arrested separately in January for suspected spying on Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard assets in Palawan. Angluben stated that the NBI, in cooperation with military intelligence units, is actively verifying intelligence packets linked to possible foreign surveillance.
The Senate inquiry, through Resolutions No. 1267 and PS No. 1328, also focused on the March 19 arrest of six Chinese nationals and one Filipino in Subic, who are suspected of conducting intelligence operations against the Philippine government.
Tolentino expressed concern that the espionage campaign had reached crisis proportions, noting that the surveillance appeared to involve sensitive data on military preparedness, naval operations, and national infrastructure. He cited Commonwealth Act No. 616 and provisions of the Revised Penal Code, stating that these activities could be considered criminal.
He further linked the Subic arrests to prior cyber intrusions on the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. In his closing remarks, Tolentino commended the arresting authorities and issued a stark warning over the scale of the uncovered activities, expressing hope that the arrests would lead to prosecution and eventual conviction of the arrested individuals.
