How an Alleged Chinese Spy Eavesdropped on Filipinos
Philippine authorities are looking into a suspected Chinese spy who they say accessed and possibly compromised data from 5,000 local mobile phone subscribers, including from those working in the government.
National Bureau of Investigation spokesman Ferdinand Lavin told senators on Monday that the Chinese national also tailed employees from the Supreme Court, Department of Justice, Bureau of Internal Revenue and Commission on Elections through mobile devices.
He said the alleged spy used an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is an eavesdropping tool to track locations and intercept calls and messages. It could also be used to leak sensitive financial information. The NBI official noted that his agency expects to conclude a cyber-forensic lab exam on the device and to publish a report before the midterm elections on May 12.
“The range is between 500 meters to three kilometers,” he said. “We can just imagine that in a highly populated area, especially in the metropolis, they picked up a lot.”
The supposed Chinese spy was nabbed by law enforcers last week after he was allegedly carrying the IMSI tool near the Comelec office in Intramuros, Manila.
NBI agents had been monitoring his movements for five days before carrying out the arrest on April 29.
At the same Senate hearing, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia assured the public that election data was safe from espionage or remained uncompromised.
The Philippine National Security Council had claimed that there were “indications” that Beijing was trying to influence the May 12 elections in favor of candidates friendly to China, which the Chinese Embassy in Manila had dispelled.
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Philippine Efforts To Block Espionage
Agencies like the Department of Foreign Affairs have intensified their efforts and collaborations with law enforcement agencies to probe suspected Chinese espionage operations amid growing tensions between both countries.
In January, law enforcers arrested a Chinese national under suspicion of espionage after military spying equipment had been recovered from him.
A month after, the NBI also arrested two alleged Chinese spies and three Filipinos accused of spying on the Malacañanan Palace and the Philippine Coast guard amid worsening tensions in the South China Sea.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded by saying the Chinese government always tells its nationals overseas to follow local laws and regulations and urged the Philippine government to stop peddling a narrative of so-called “Chinese spies” in the country.
Last April, Chinese authorities arrested three Filipinos for allegedly spying on the Chinese government.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro, Jr. and National Security Advisor Eduardo Año earlier floated proposals to lawmakers to impose strict and tougher penalties on spies.
Malacañang has also said the Marcos administration is seeking to refine laws on the mandatory registration of SIM cards and banning Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations after spates of alleged Chinese espionage and kidnapping.
President Ferdinand Marcos had issued an executive order banning POGOs after lawmakers and law enforcement agencies cracked down on organized crime and human trafficking.
Government data from 2023 showed that the state has lost about P460 billion due to “smishing scams” that impersonate real financial institutions to trick Filipinos into giving out sensitive information.
