MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said on Friday ( Jan 31 ) that he is “very disturbed” by the surveillance of the country’s military, following a series of arrests of alleged Chinese spies.
Five males were detained last week after allegedly recording activities at Filipino air and naval bases with the aid of drones and high-resolution lens equipment. These included the movements of government ships supplying military installations in the contested South China Sea.
A Chinese technology architect and two Filipino partners were also taken into custody earlier in January for allegedly spied on military and police tents, claims that the Chinese embassy in Manila rejected.
” We are extremely disturbed by someone conducting like espionage procedures against our defense,” Marcos told reporters.
National Security Advisor Eduardo Ano stated in a statement that the arrests “underline the need for continued vigilance and vigilant intelligence measures.”
The Philippines and China have heightened offshore tensions as a result of the series of arrests in the South China Sea over disputed islands and waters.
Beijing asserts that it has no constitutional base despite a global ruling that it does.
Chinese officials have not yet made any comments on the most recent arrests.