West Philippine Sea: Navy flags espionage, says foreign power mapping PH

MANILA, Philippines — There seems to be a “deliberate and calculated move to map out” the Philippines by a “foreign power,” according to Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad.

Trinidad’s comment follows the arrest of a suspected Chinese “sleeper agent” allegedly involved in espionage activities. He also cited other incidents involving foreign nationals last year.

“So if we look at the entire expanse of the country covering the different incidents and national power and start connecting the dots, there seems now to be a deliberate and calculated move to map out the country by a foreign power,” the Navy official said in a press conference on Tuesday.

READ: NBI Davao uncovers ‘200 falsified birth certificates’ issued to Chinese

“That is what your armed forces are monitoring. We are facing these, and we are taking appropriate action,” he added.

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Among the foreign-related incidents he mentioned were the submersible drone with Chinese markings found in Masbate. It is the fifth underwater drone under the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ custody.

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“If we take two steps backward, a local chief executive with dubious character and background was uncovered, foreign nationals were arrested with fake government IDs, foreign nationals with fake birth certificates,” Trinidad further enumerated.

READ: West PH Sea: Philippines recovers suspected Chinese submarine drone

The Navy official did not mention names, but Alice Guo, a Chinese national whose real name was revealed to be Guo Hua Ping, served as Bamban, Tarlac mayor from June 2022 to August 2024.

Guo was in hot water earlier last year due to allegations linking her to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators hub in Bamban.

Guo is also facing complaints for graft, qualified human trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion. She is currently detained in Pasig City Jail.

In July 2024, the National Bureau of Investigation, on the other hand, uncovered “close to 200 falsified birth certificates” issued by the Local Civil Registry of Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur to Chinese nationals from 2018 to 2019.