OPINION | Spy story

January 29, 2025 , 03:57 PM

By Manny Mogato

Law enforcement agents recently arrested a Chinese national, Deng Yuanqing, and two Filipino accomplices for alleged espionage activities in the country.

According to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Deng and the two Filipinos used modern and sophisticated devices to collect sensitive and classified information from military bases and other critical infrastructures, including shopping malls.

Some of the areas the three visited included EDCA sites in Luzon, where the United States armed forces were granted access to preposition equipment and supplies.

The three used the devices to create maps but for an unspecified purpose. It was not clear who were the employers of the three.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the Chinese national had lived in the Philippines for a decade and had a permanent residency after marrying a Filipina.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Romeo Brawner, was alarmed by what law enforcement agents had found out after Yuanqing’s arrest.

“It’s very possible that the coordinates and the topography could be used for military purposes, military targeting purposes,” Brawner said.

“There are many other different camps. Not just camps. Even airports, seaports, and fuel depots.”

Deng and the two Filipinos were charged with espionage and for violating Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Deng was caught based on information from the Navy’s Intelligence and Security office that a group of Chinese nationals were doing surveillance work that could compromise the country’s national defense.

However, Deng’s wife denied that her husband was a spy and could be working for Beijing’s People Liberation Army (PLA), China’s armed forces.

“He surveys roads for self-driving cars,” Deng’s wife, Noemi, said. “Based on my understanding, they are like Waze. They survey the roads where the cars go.”

She and Deng had met online in 2013.

A Chinese-Filipino civic leader, Teresita Ang See, helping the Deng couple, has asked for an impartial investigation. She also claimed Deng was not a spy.

She said Deng did not attend a PLA university and finished a technical education at a vocational school.

The two women said Deng was a contractor for a Chinese company that had contracts with US-based companies.

The burden of proving that Deng was a spy lies on the government. The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Bureau of Investigation have to present evidence in court that the information gathered by Deng was sensitive and classified which could compromise the nation’s security.

The evidence must clearly show the information that was collected was highly classified and not available online.

Some people observed that the equipment seized from Deng’s vehicle was not sophisticated and was openly available in the online shopping app Lazada or Shopee.

They also said Deng need not map military camps and other critical infrastructure because these are readily available in Google Earth maps, including the exact coordinates.

The defense and military establishments had hardened government infrastructure to prevent unauthorized personnel from gaining entry into the secured facility.

It was a condition set by Washington before it agreed to sign an intelligence-sharing agreement with Manila in November – the General Security on Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

Foreign intelligence agents usually gather information through human contacts and interaction (HUMINT), technical intelligence (TECHINT), and intercepting signals and communications.

They also break into and hack computer systems to steal valuable information, databases, and internal communications.

China’s hackers could be working with state security apparatus to steal information and could sabotage foreign government emails and websites.

The US and other Western states have complained about China’s espionage activities, aware that they were on the hunt for technological data and designs for advanced weaponry, like missiles, submarines, and aircraft.

The Philippines could be a potential target because it has close military ties with the United States. The country’s cyber security is weak as evidenced by frequent attacks and data breaches by unknown foreign actors.

The Philippine government must zealously guard against data breaches and malicious attacks on its computer systems rather than worry about physical surveillance.

These are low-level monitoring activities with very limited information gained unlike when a computer network is breached.

There is a need for the Philippines to strengthen its cyber security if it wants to guard against the prying eyes of cyber spies.

Perhaps, the US, Japan, and Australia start training and focusing more activities to harden Philippine cyber networks and avoid exposing state secrets to hostile actors, like China.

Deng’s activities would be child’s play compared to those done by Chinese hackers and cyber spies.

The views expressed by the columnist do not necessarily reflect that of the media organization.

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