‘Foreign power’ maps Philippines
By J.Lo
“Foreign nationals were arrested with fake government IDs, foreign nationals with birth certificates…so if we look at entire expanse of the country… and start connecting dots, there seems now to be deliberate and calculated move to map out the country by foreign power,” Philippine Navy spokesman for West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said during press conference military officials and law enforcers revealed arrest of Chinese national and two Filipinos for allegedly engaging in espionage. They are accused of conducting surveillance operations in military and civilian facilities, including areas where Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites are located. Chinese national’s detailed mapping of military camps and public places across Luzon has led military officials to suspect foreign agents are working to create blueprint of key locations in the Philippines.
Trinidad pointed to seemingly unrelated recent events that, when examined together, suggest pattern of systematic mapping of military and civilian infrastructure across the country.
Chinese national, identified as Deng Yuanqing, reportedly spent more than a month starting December 2024 mapping locations from northern Luzon to Bicol region, said Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Francel Magareth Padilla during same press conference.
Deng has reportedly lived in the Philippines for over a decade.
“If we notice what happened just recently, Chinese national may be isolated case…but if you look at bigger picture, last month we received submersible glider, drone from fisherfolk… fifth that we have in our possession undergoing forensics,” Trinidad said.
Trinidad said if one takes “two steps further backward,” these incidents may also be related to recent discovery of foreign nationals with fake government IDs and uncovering of “local chief executive with dubious character and background.”
Alleged surveillance conducted by Deng covered not just military and police camps, but also shopping malls, communication and power grids, and major airports and seaports, Padilla said.
“Our intelligence operatives also noted that this Chinese national achieved this through network of financiers, technical experts, also Chinese nationals, and support personnel,Deng,married to Filipina reportedly runs undisclosed number of businesses in the country,” Trinidad added.
“Same businesses are also being used as fronts to receive large amounts of funds to enable his illicit activities,” she said.
Deng’s equipment is capable of creating precise three-dimensional models of buildings and installations. “These are high-precision topographic mapping and 3D modeling of military installations and critical infrastructures,” Padilla said.
Meanwhile, military officials also linked Deng’s surveillance activities to recent discovery of underwater surveillance equipment in Philippine waters.
military last year recovered five submersible drones, with latest found in Masbate. First drone, discovered in Calayan Island, had been collecting data about water depth, temperature and other ocean conditions.
Drone found in waters off Masbate bore Chinese markings, but authorities have not directly accused China of owning the device.
“While there is no direct correlation yet with what happened few days ago, if we connect dots, we don’t have to look far, that there seems to be orchestrated move by foreign power to gather critical information in maritime domain and on critical government infrastructures,information that is derived from our seas would have political, economic and military applications,” he added.
While military officials avoided explicitly naming China as foreign power behind these activities, they noted that investigations with National Bureau of Investigation are ongoing to uncover full scope of these operations.
“Any foreign power who would like to take advantage of our country would need political, economic, and military information,” Trinidad also said.
AFP called for public vigilance but cautioned against panic. Trinidad also said issues are “not yet threat to national security but may pose risk to public safety, to peace and order.”
“While we do not want to create unnecessary panic, we ask our fellow Filipinos to be discerning and to help us,” Padilla added, urging civilians, particularly fisherfolk, to report suspicious activities or equipment they might encounter.
Padilla said AFP will modernize its defenses and beef up its cybersecurity to ensure it can “respond swiftly to attacks on our critical infrastructures and even to look at trojan horses within our midst.”
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