Says the DFA: ‘The department takes such reports seriously’
Published October 3, 2024
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday, October 3, that it was “monitoring relevant developments” related to media reports of “foreign covert operations” in the Philippines.”
“The department has noted press reports containing relevant information on alleged foreign covert operations in the Philippines,” DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a briefing with reporters on Thursday.
Asked if the DFA has spoken to the Chinese embassy about reports of Chinese covert operations — activities that could range from espionage to malign influence — Daza said she had “no information.”
A week ago, Al Jazeera released a report that included an exclusive interview with She Zhijiang, a jailed China-born tycoon under detention in Thailand who claimed that he was an agent of China’s Ministry of State Security, their equivalent of the US Central Intelligence Agency.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.rappler.com
RELATED: Philippines takes allegations of foreign spying in the country seriously
Alice Guo, also known as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, a fugitive former mayor of Bamban, Tarlac province attends a Senate hearing in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, September 9, 2024. (Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)
Published October 3, 2024
MANILA — The Philippines expressed concerns on Thursday over media reports alleging foreign covert operations in the country, saying it is coordinating with relevant agencies to address the matter.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) did not name any foreign actor or entity in its statement, but its spokesperson told reporters it was responding to an Al Jazeera 101 East documentary on a Chinese fugitive detained in Thailand.
The fugitive, She Zhijiang, is wanted by Beijing for allegedly running illegal online gambling operations.
In the documentary, he was quoted saying that he once spied for China and was recruited in the Philippines in late 2016.
He was quoted in the documentary also saying he and Alice Guo, former Philippine mayor of Bamban in Tarlac province, worked for China’s Ministry of State Security, the main agency overseeing foreign intelligence.
“The department has noted reports, press reports containing relevant information on alleged foreign covert operation in the Philippines, in accordance with its mandate to help protect national security,” DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza told reporters.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.interaksyon.philstar.com
