LACSON WARNS: CHINESE SLEEPER AGENTS, PLA MEMBERS ALREADY IN PH

CHINESE “sleeper agents” and even operatives from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are already embedded in the Philippines to engage in espionage, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.

Lacson pressed the concerned government agencies to conduct continuous follow-up operations against those arrested in earlier anti-espionage operations.

“The whole network of espionage operations must be dismantled or at least decimated to a large degree kasi agents come and go. Inaresto mo, may papalit diyan. And I have on good information na maraming sleeper agents, even regular members of PLA na nandito. Widespread eh,” he said at the hearing of the Senate Defense Committee, which tackled anti-espionage bills, including Lacson’s Senate Bill 33, an act penalizing espionage and other similar offenses against national security.

“Time is of the essence. Continuing ang kanilang espionage ops and right now ang ina-apply natin is Commonwealth Act 616,” he added.

Lacson cited reports showing Chinese nationals had been arrested for suspected espionage in several areas of the country, including Palawan, Makati, Dumaguete, and even near Camp Aguinaldo, the Commission on Elections office in Manila, and Malacanang.

During the hearing, Atty. Ferdinand Lavin of the National Bureau of Investigation said NBI agents had arrested in at least six operations 19 foreign nationals engaged in suspected espionage.

Of the 19, 13 were Chinese, five were Filipinos, and one was Cambodian. Lavin said the Filipinos were acting as guides, drivers, or aides.

Lacson stressed the need for continuous hot pursuit operations against other suspects, including those stemming from tactical interrogation of those captured.

“Yan ang mas interest ko kasi di dapat matapos arrest. This is an unusual crime committed vs our national security unlike other ordinary criminal cases we stop at filing charges and pursuing their conviction in court. Ito it entails more intelligence and follow up operations,”he said.

“So kailangan ang pursuit operations na walang letup. If we rest on our laurels naging complacent tayo relax na,” he added.

Lacson also pressed the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to freeze the assets of those involved in espionage activities, similar to what they did in the case of former Mayor Alice Guo.