De Lima seeks tougher penalties for espionage

Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Representative Leila de Lima on Monday sought tougher measures against those found spying by increasing the jail term of violators to up to 20 years and the penalties to up to P20 million.

House Bill No. 1844 or the proposed Anti-Espionage Act aims to amend Article 117 of the Revised Penal Code on penalties for espionage, which currently provides for six months to six years of imprisonment.

The bill states that espionage is committed under the following circumstances:

-enters or aids or induces another to enter a warship, fort, or naval or military establishment or reservation or facility or camp or installation, to obtain any information, plans, photographs, or other data whether of a confidential nature or not relative to the defense or security of the Philippine archipelago, or to military training or equipment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...and discloses their contents to a representative of a foreign nation, foreign national or to criminal indicates or elements to the disadvantage of the Philippines

-obtains, receives, gathers, passes, or causes to be obtained, received, gathered, passed, or attempts to obtain, receive, gather, or pass, in any place in the Philippines, information or data concerning any vessel, aircraft, naval station, military camp or installations or facilities, work of defense, military training or equipment, communications equipment or facilities, or other information or data connected with or relative to national defense or security for the purpose of disclosing such information or data to a foreign nation or its representative, or to a foreign national or organization

-lawfully or unlawfully having possession of the information or data referred to in the preceding paragraphs willfully communicates, transmits, or attempts to communicate or transmit the same to any person not entitled to receive it

De Lima, a former senator, said current laws are not enough to respond to the threats to the country’s national security and sovereignty.

“Other threats to our national security, such as the continued harassments and aggressions of China in the West Philippine Sea, the influx of Chinese students in areas near our country's military bases, and the emergence of online gaming hubs operated by Chinese workers located near our military and police camps demand that our security agencies be given all the necessary resources to go after spies operating in the Philippines, especially in areas around our most sensitive defense installations,” she said.

De Lima cited the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, who turned out to be a Chinese citizen but was able to get elected in public office even if running for public office requires Filipino citizenship. Likewise, Guo is being accused of being involved in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)-related crimes within the town.

Likewise, the former Justice chief cited the arrest of a Chinese citizen and two Filipino accomplices arrested for reportedly gathering sensitive data around military facilities and vital infrastructures in January, as well as the arrest of five more suspected Chinese spies who were allegedly monitoring Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy activities in Palawan, including the resupply of troops in the West Philippine Sea.

De Lima also said the Department of Information and Communications Technology revealed in April 2024 that suspected Chinese companies pretending to be American or European businesses were recruiting active and former Armed Forces of the Philippines members.

“Clearly, there is a dire need to put an end to all kinds of espionage to protect our national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interest,” she said.—Llanesca Panti/LDF, GMA Integrated News