Philippines ‘blindsided’ by mounting security threats amid fresh espionage claims

Officials ‘connecting the dots’ between arrest of alleged Chinese spy, underwater drones and Pogos as analysts call for stronger legal frameworks

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Philippine officials say there seems to be a “deliberate and calculated move to map out the country by a foreign power”. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 12:58pm, 23 Jan 2025

The Philippines is struggling to contend with mounting security threats, analysts warn, citing inadequate counter-intelligence capabilities and regulatory infrastructure amid recent reports of alleged espionage activities that have alarmed the nation.

Their warnings come in the wake of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ announcement that it was looking at possible connections between the arrest of an alleged Chinese spy conducting surveillance operations on the country’s military installations; the discovery of underwater drones in various waters across the country; and the proliferation of fake identification cards among foreign nationals.

Without naming a particular country, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said on Tuesday that “there seems now to be a deliberate and calculated move to map out the country by a foreign power”.

Trinidad refused to speculate on an adversary, adding, “We base our statements on facts.”

The West Philippine Sea is Manila’s name for part of the disputed South China Sea it considers its maritime territory.

Armed forces spokeswoman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla, meanwhile, said the military was looking at the bigger picture and “connecting the dots” among “siloed approaches”, including the now-banned offshore gaming operators (Pogos).