Senators deeply alarmed over alleged Chinese spy near Comelec

Several senators on Wednesday, April 30 expressed alarm over the arrest of a Chinese national with spying equipment near the Commission on Elections (Comelec), urging government to remain vigilant against external players who are bent on sabotaging the upcoming May 2025 elections.

“The arrest of the alleged Chinese spy near Comelec is deeply concerning, not just for the upcoming elections but also for our national security,” opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros said in a statement.

“Kung mapatunayan na espiya nga itong Chinese national (If it’s proven that this Chinese national is a spy), this will have serious implications for our already-fraught relationship with Beijing,”

“Nang-aangkin na nga ng teritoryo natin, mangingialam pa sa eleksyon (They have been occupying our territories, are they also bent on influencing our election)?” she lamented.

Hontiveros lauded the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) for observing the suspects’ movements for five days and made its move on Tuesday as the suspects were about to change vehicles. Only one of the suspects was arrested during the operation.

“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa NBI sa pag-aksyon sa isyung ito (We are thankful to the NBI for taking action on this issue),” she said.

“I look forward to the findings of their ongoing investigation, as this could help the Senate improve both the Espionage Act and the Foreign Interference Bill,” added the lawmaker.

“Government must remain vigilant. We cannot allow any foreign power to shape our politics, our national security, and our democracy,” she added.

Sen. Joel Villanueva also welcomed this development as he also expressed concern over the increase in spying activities as the election day draws near.

“Nakakabahala po ito kaya po patuloy po tayong nananawagan sa ating National Security Council (NSC) na gawing prayoridad ang pagsasagawa ng malawak na threat assessment upang maprotektahan ang ating bansa at demokrasya (This is very alarming that’s why we continue to urge our NSC to prioritize holding a nationwide threat assessment to protect our nation and democracy),” Villanueva said.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano also expressed concern and urged the Marcos administration to intensify the country’s own “counter-intelligence.”

“What are we doing about it? While we know for a fact that the government, the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology) is doing something to counter hacking and scamming activities, what are we doing to counter spying activities?” Cayetano pointed out.

“Yes, it’s already alarming but we all know it has been happening for the past few years. The question is what are we doing about it?” he added.

The senator said that while the government has its own intelligence group within the national security cluster, having a group that would conduct counter-intelligence activities is also a must.

“Intelligence is different from counter-intelligence (group). Are we forming our own counter-intelligence? What are we doing about counter-intelligence?” he asked.