Kin, friend deny spying claims vs Chinese national

The family and a friend of a Chinese national arrested by Philippine security agencies for alleged espionage have denied the accusations, asserting his innocence.

In an exclusive report by JP Soriano on 24 Oras aired Friday, the mother and sister of 39-year-old Deng Yuanqing from China's Fujian Province insisted he could not be involved in espionage.

“My brother has always been an honest and kind person; he could never be a spy,” Deng’s sister stated.

Deng, along with two Filipinos, was arrested for alleged surveillance activities in the Philippines. Authorities reportedly seized equipment such as rovers and mapping devices during the operation.

The family disclosed that Deng traveled frequently to the Philippines since marrying a Filipina in 2014. He was also managing a business in Zamboanga.

“Because my sister-in-law is Filipino, so my brother has been in a long time between China and the Philippines… My brother and his wife, they are running a pharmacy in Zamboanga. So my brother does own a business there. It's formal and legal,” Deng’s sister added.

A friend of Deng’s explained that he had been recruited by a China-based firm to test-drive vehicles in the Philippines.

“This company said they need to do a car testing job in the Philippines and they need to do a thirty-kilometer like testing in the Philippines and the main job of Deng is helping them to arrange the route,” the friend said.

The friend also mentioned that the company could coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to clear Deng of the charges. However, the firm has yet to provide proof of Deng's employment.

“They keep saying they will provide but until now they didn’t. We are desperate, we need someone to help,” she said.

The family and friend expressed concern about Deng’s treatment in detention, claiming to have received a troubling message from him.

“When he is in jail, the police are torturing my friend. I hope you could talk to the related department to not do that,” the friend pleaded.

Deng’s sister became emotional, saying, “Because we are so far from the Philippines and we can’t help my brother so, I don’t know how to say... My parents, their body is not very good and Chinese New Year is coming. We can't... we want my brother to be back safe home.”

GMA Integrated News has reached out to the National Bureau of Investigation, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Chinese company for their comments. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/DVM/RF, GMA Integrated News