AFP to look into reports that at least 2,000 China PLA members are in Philippines

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will look into Senator Panfilo Lacson's claim that thousands of members of China’s armed forces, the People's Liberation Army, are in the country, its chief said on Thursday.

“We are in the process of validating the report of Senator Lacson, that being a matter of serious concern,” AFP chief General Felimon Santos said in a press statement.

“I have my staff for intelligence to confirm said reports in coordination with other relevant agencies of government,” Santos added.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo also stressed the need to validate Lacson’s claim.

“We have to validate that first. We cannot be making statements relative to anything that is based on speculation and unverified report,” Panelo told reporters.

“All we can say is we in the government is always concerned when any issue affecting the national interest and national security.”

On Wednesday, Lacson claimed that at least 2,000 PLA members are in the Philippines. The senator, however, said the information still needs to be confirmed by the intelligence community.

Last week, police found some PLA identification cards from suspects of a shooting incident in Makati City which killed a Chinese national.

Authorities, however, said the PLA IDs do not belong to the Chinese suspects. — with Virgil Lopez/BM/KBK, GMA News