DFA asks China for access to 3 Filipinos accused of spying

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has asked China to allow Philippine lawyers to contact the arrested Filipinos accused of spying.

In a report on Unang Balita on Wednesday, DFA undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said that it has already arranged lawyers for the 3 Filipinos who are currently detained in an undisclosed location.

De Vega also maintained that the 3 Filipinos are not spies.

Over the weekend, the National Security Council also raised questions over the charges of espionage against the Filipinos.

For the NSC, this can be seen as a "retaliation" after Chinese spies were arrested in the Philippines.

"A portion of one of the Filipino's statement, while expressing regret, also notably portrayed China in a positive light. There was also mention of a ‘Philippine Intelligence Agency’ or ‘Philippine Spy Intelligence Services’ which is a non-existing government agency," NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a statement.

"The ‘confessions’ appear to be scripted, strongly suggesting that they were not made freely," he added.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday, meanwhile, said that it has not received any official reports on the arrest of alleged Filipino spies in China.

“On the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we have not received any official reports from relative authorities,” AFP public affairs office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said at a press conference.

Asked about a supposed handler of the arrested Filipino who was allegedly linked to the AFP’s Intelligence Service, Trinidad said he “cannot proclaim” those particular statements as there is no official report yet.

“I cannot proclaim those particular statements. And we have yet to receive official reports that those are the claims of this particular country or any institutions or agency,” Trinidad said.

Chinese state media Global Times reported about the arrest of the 3 Filipinos last week.

“The investigation revealed that Philippine intelligence agencies have long been focused on gathering information about China’s military deployments,” Global Times said on X (formerly Twitter).

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Chinese authorities will “strictly handle” the case. —VAL, GMA Integrated News