Philippine authorities have arrested two more suspected Chinese spies in Palawan, signaling intensified counterintelligence efforts against foreign espionage operations in the country.
The latest arrests followed the detention of a Chinese national and two Filipinos accused of spying on military sites. Officials warn that “more arrests” are imminent as investigations continue.
Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general and spokesperson of the National Security Council (NSC), confirmed the recent arrests during the Utak Forum in Quezon City on January 29, but provided limited details to avoid disrupting the ongoing probe by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
The forum, with the theme “West Philippine Sea in 2025: Prospects and Challenges”, tackled key issues such as China’s maritime assertiveness, countering foreign interference, a potential new arbitration case, and strengthening alliances amid global geopolitical shifts.
“Maybe what I can say right now is that there will be more arrests, and this includes what happened there in Palawan because we have ramped up our counterintelligence efforts and because of that we’re slowly unraveling the conspiracy, this operation that’s being done by foreign actors to conduct espionage in the Philippines,” Malaya said.
Authorities are investigating whether the two newly arrested suspects are linked to Chinese national Deng Yuanqing and his alleged Filipino accomplices, Ronel Jojo Balundo Besa and Jayson Amado Fernandez, whom officers arrested earlier this month.
When asked if the case is linked to the sleeper agent recently apprehended for alleged espionage activities, Malaya said that authorities are still investigating.
He said, however, that the confiscated cellular phones and surveillance equipment indicate that the detainees are part of an organized intelligence network. “If we find evidence that they are connected, we will make the necessary announcement,” he added.
Two more arrested in Palawan
Residents in the community grew alarmed after seeing two foreigners, who claimed to be Taiwanese tourists, filming the Philippine Coast Guard ship in the area with their cellphones. Authorities believe this filming was part of their spying activities. Residents also said that they also noticed a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera set up facing the sea.
Located in western Philippines, Palawan is a key strategic location for the Philippine military, serving as a staging ground for rotation and resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal. It also houses the Western Command, which oversees security in the West Philippine Sea — an area where Chinese incursions frequently occur.
Despite mounting evidence, Malaya assured that due process would be observed.
“They will have their day in court, and we will prove to the public that we have a solid case and we have the evidence of their prosecution,” he said.
But the Chinese Embassy in Manila dismissed allegations of a Chinese espionage operation in the Philippines, describing them as “baseless speculation and accusation”.
In a statement posted on their website on January 25, the embassy spokesperson referred to the claims about Deng as “groundless speculations”. The embassy added that it had expressed concern to the Philippine authorities and requested a consular visit to assist the individual in question.
China urged Philippine authorities to handle the matter according to law, respect the bilateral consular treaty, and ensure the rights of Chinese citizens in the country. However, it has yet to issue a statement regarding the latest arrests in Palawan.
“We have a strong case”
But Malaya reiterated that authorities conducted extensive surveillance operations before arresting Deng and his alleged co-conspirators.
“On the part of the NSC, I think what we would like to say is that we have a solid case. We have a solid case against the Chinese agent or spy that we arrested,” Malaya said in response to the Chinese Embassy’s claims that the accusations against Deng are baseless.
He detailed how law enforcement tracked the suspect’s movements and gathered evidence of his visits to sensitive military locations.
“Surveillance was done on this individual. So, we saw his move, we saw him going to suspicious places and places of significant military importance to us, significant strategic locations which he went and conducted surveillance,” Malaya said.
He added that officers caught Deng “red-handed” with surveillance equipment. “He was holding the surveillance equipment, and his actions were suspicious,” Malaya noted.
Malaya confirmed that the government filed cases under the Espionage Act and Cybercrime Law against Deng, emphasizing the government’s confidence in its legal position.
During the forum, former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio stressed the need to modernize the country’s espionage laws in light of the recent arrests.
Malaya agreed, noting that while several bills are pending in Congress, legislative hurdles could delay their passage. “It needs to be updated,” he said.
More arrests expected
Malaya warned that authorities will make additional arrests as they continue cracking down on intelligence operations conducted by foreign actors in the country.
“I don’t want to preempt the announcement of the NBI and of course, other relevant law enforcement agencies, but there will be more arrests. We’ll probably have announcements in the next few days about other individuals we caught conducting intelligence operations in the Philippines,” he said.
He urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities.
“Our appeal to the public: if you see any suspicious activity, please report that immediately to the nearest law enforcement agency, the Philippine National Police, even the Armed Forces, they have their intelligence service which can help us, and of course the NBI,” Malaya said.
Increase in online “trolls”
Meanwhile, Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the PCG in the West Philippine Sea, reported a surge in online disinformation following the government’s transparency efforts regarding maritime security.
According to Tarriela, these trolls (persons or groups that deliberately post inflammatory messages) have been particularly aggressive in spreading misinformation about the West Philippine Sea.
“I think this is their reaction to the transparency efforts that the National Task Force (NTF) for WPS is doing right now,” he said in the same forum, noting that the PCG and NTF-WPS were working to counter false narratives.
Tarriela also highlighted the PCG’s recent successes in deterring China Coast Guard vessels from approaching Philippine waters.
Tensions in the West Philippine Sea remain high as China asserts its territorial claims in the South China Sea, overlapping with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Despite international rulings rejecting these claims, China continues aggressive actions, including coast guard confrontations, military exercises, and reef construction.
Photo credit: West Philippine Sea page. (From left to right) PCG’s spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, AFP’s spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla-Taborlupa, NSC’s assistant director general Jonathan Malaya, and geopolitical analyst Richard Heydarian at the UTAK Forum on January 29, 2025.