Retaliation? NSC raises questions over China's arrest of alleged Filipino spies

The National Security Council (NSC) on Saturday raised questions over the charges of espionage against 3 Filipinos nabbed in Beijing, which it said can be seen as a "retaliation" after Chinese spies were arrested in the Philippines.

This, as the NSC said that the Filipinos arrested "are former recipients of the Hainan Government Scholarship Program established under the sisterhood agreement between the provinces of Hainan and Palawan."

The NSC also maintained that those arrested were ordinary Filipinos.

"They are law-abiding citizens with no criminal records and were vetted and screened by the Chinese government prior to their arrival there," NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a statement.

The NSC also raised doubts over the arrested Filipinos' supposed confessions.

"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," said the NSC.

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

For the NSC, the said video raises more questions than answers.

"Given the limited information released by Chinese media, the arrests can be seen as a retaliation for the series of legitimate arrests of Chinese agents and accomplices by Philippine law enforcement and counter-intelligence agencies in recent months," Malaya said.

"We urge the Filipino people to remain vigilant and discerning in the face of these accusations," he added. 

GMA News Online has reached out to the Chinese Embassy for comment, but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

The agency said it is coordinating closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Embassy in Beijing to ensure the detainees receive appropriate legal assistance and due process in light of the serious accusations.

"We urge the Chinese government to respect their rights and afford them every opportunity to clear their names in the same way that the rights of Chinese nationals are respected here in the Philippines," said the NSC spokesperson.

On Friday, the DFA said that the government would provide all the necessary assistance to the three Filipinos detained in China over alleged espionage.

“The Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou is providing all necessary assistance, including appropriate legal support, for the said Filipinos,” said DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza.

The DFA already conveyed to the Chinese Government that these allegations should be tried with due process and with full respect to the rights of the said Filipinos in accordance with domestic law as well as the Philippines-China Consular Agreement. —Sherylin Untalan/ VAL, GMA Integrated News