Defense chief urges Congress to amend espionage law to cover peacetime
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro called on lawmakers to amend the espionage law to cover peacetime, not just wartime.
Teodoro made the statement in an ambush interview with reporters on Monday, September 30, after allegations of espionage against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo have surfaced.
“What’s important now is that we penalize espionage during times of peace because the espionage law in the Philippines is only effective during times of war. This is also a call to action for our lawmakers to urgently amend the espionage law so that the government can properly respond and address this issue,” Teodoro said in a mix of Filipino and English.
When asked about the allegations of Guo being a spy, Teodoro said that while it is not confirmed if Guo is involved in espionage, her role in a large-scale illegal enterprise within the Philippines is undeniable.
“She falsified documents to pretend that she is a Filipino... She was an active co-conspirator in a massive illegal criminal enterprise, which was the source of all illegal activities. And being a Chinese national engaged in such activities in this country still harms the nation, whether or not it is espionage,” Teodoro said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Alleged Chinese spy
Allegations about Guo's ties to espionage were made in an Al Jazeera documentary about She Zhijiang, a Chinese tycoon and suspected spy currently detained in Thailand.
In the documentary, She Zhijiang claimed he was an operative for China’s Ministry of State Security and was recruited in 2016 by someone he met in the Philippines.
Through a custodian, She provided Al Jazeera with files that allegedly support his claim of being a Chinese spy.
Among these documents was a dossier that identified Guo as "Guo Hua Ping," her supposed Chinese name. The dossier listed China as Guo’s birthplace and named her mother as Lin Wen Yi, the same woman mentioned during Senate hearings on Guo’s identity.
It also provided an address in China, which Al Jazeera found to be the location of a local Chinese Communist Party office.
Al Jazeera interviewed residents in Fujian who claimed to recognize Guo as Lin Wen Yi's daughter, saying she was born there and left around 2002.
In the documentary, She admitted to speaking with Guo via her handler’s phone when Guo requested financial assistance for her mayoral campaign.
She Zhijiang said he refused the request to avoid offending the Philippine government.
During a House panel hearing, the dismissed mayor who is detained as a facilitator to fraudulent gaming dens, called POGOs, denied all the allegations.
"I am not a spy. I love the Philippines,” she said.
One of the charges She Zhijiang is facing in Thailand is human trafficking, a charge Guo also faces in the Philippines and for which there is no bail.
Because of her alleged ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), Guo also faces multiple charges, including money laundering, tax evasion, and graft and corruption. — With reports from The STAR/Janvic Mateo
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