Charges filed this week vs 3 Chinese ‘spies’

MANILA, Philippines — Three suspected Chinese spies arrested on Feb. 14 in Laguna will face charges for violating immigration laws and operating a business without documentation, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

Charges will be filed within the week, while a probe into their alleged involvement in espionage activities is ongoing, PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said yesterday.

At yesterday’s case conference, Cruz and officials of the Department of Justice, Bureau of Immigration and police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group discussed the charges and equipment recovered from the raid.

Telecommunications equipment was discovered at the site where the Chinese nationals were allegedly committing criminal acts.

Camp Vicente Lim, headquarters of the Calabarzon police, is about 6.5 kilometers from the area.

Cruz said the three suspects have been operating for more than a year, longer than alleged Chinese “sleeper agent” Yuanqing Deng, who was arrested on Jan. 17 in Makati.

Authorities are checking if Deng and the three suspects are connected, Cruz noted.

POGOs ‘wiped out’ this year – PAOCC

All Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) activities can be eliminated within the year, the PAOCC said yesterday.

Around 11,000 illegal POGO workers involved in scamming operations are being pursued by the government, Cruz said.

“We can wipe them out within the year. We are doing this step by step and we will not stop,” he said.

All POGOs are banned in the country, per Executive Order 74 signed by President Marcos on Nov. 5, 2024. — Mark Ernest Villeza