Jailed Pinoys’ kin: Bring them home from China
- Following acknowledgement by Beijing that three Filipinos arrested for alleged espionage are in their custody, the detainees’ families are asking Malacanang to “do everything possible to bring them home.”
- They were identified as David Servañez, Nathalie Plizardo and Albert Endencia. They reportedly turned over information to their alleged recruiter and handler, who was identified as “Richie Herrera” from whom they received spy training and “financial rewards” and occasional “bonuses” for their work.
- TheDFA confirmed that it had been formally notified of the charges against the three detained Filipinos. “The Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou is providing all necessary assistance, including appropriate legal support, for the said Filipinos,” the DFA said.
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—The families of the three Filipinos who were arrested in China for alleged espionage are relieved tat they are “at least” alive after Chinese authorities acknowledged that the suspected spies are in their custody, a Palawan provincial official told the Inquirer on Friday.
Board Member Ryan Maminta, who had spoken with relatives of the detained Filipinos, who are also from Palawan, said their anxieties were eased by Chinese state media reports on the arrests after losing contact with one of the three as early as October 2024 and the two others in January this year.
“At least they saw proof that their relatives are alive; there’s evidence that they are being held by Chinese authorities because they have not talked or seen them for quite some time already,” Maminta said in an interview.
State-run Chinese news outlets reported on Thursday that the three—two men and one woman—allegedly confessed that they were spies and that they supposedly gathered information about China’s military deployments.
They were identified as David Servañez, Nathalie Plizardo and Albert Endencia. They reportedly turned over information to their alleged recruiter and handler, who was identified as “Richie Herrera” from whom they received spy training and “financial rewards” and occasional “bonuses” for their work.
The Chinese news reports did not say when and where they were arrested and where they are being detained.
Doubtful of confession
According to Maminta, their families are calling on the national government to intervene and ensure their safe return to the Philippines.
“They are asking the government to do everything possible to bring them home,” he said. “We hope this matter reaches President Ferdinand Marcos so that concrete and immediate action can be taken.”
He expressed skepticism that the three had confessed to spying on Chinese military facilities for a Philippine intelligence agency.
“They reportedly admitted to it, but it’s possible that the confession was made under duress or extreme pressure,” Maminta said.
“We don’t know the full circumstances, but what we do know is that they need help, and the government must act to bring them home,” he said.
Maminta first revealed the arrest of the three Palaweños— reportedly on suspicion of espionage—during a regular session of the provincial board in mid-March. He did not disclose their identities at the time.
DFA confirmation
In his interview with the Inquirer on Friday, he urged Chinese authorities to observe due process and ensure the fair treatment of suspects.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that it had been formally notified of the charges against the three detained Filipinos.
“Protecting the rights and interests of the said Filipinos remains the prime priority for the Philippine government. The Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou is providing all necessary assistance, including appropriate legal support, for the said Filipinos,” the DFA said.
“The department has conveyed to the Chinese government to ensure that these allegations are tried with due process and with full respect to the rights of the said Filipinos in accordance with domestic law and the Philippines-China Consular Agreement,” it added.
The Inquirer has reached out to relatives of the three Palaweños, but they have yet to respond.
How they got there
Based on Maminta’s accounts of his conversations with the relatives, official statements of the Palawan provincial government’s Public Information Office (PIO) and its own inquiries, the Inquirer has been able to piece together significant events prior to the arrests.
In 2017, Palawan established “sisterhood” ties with Hainan, an island and China’s southernmost province. One of the benefits for Palawan was a scholarship program that includes free board and lodging for 50 Palaweños at Hainan Normal University from 2018 to 2022.
Plizardo, who is from Puerto Princesa, and Servañez, a native of Brooke’s Point, belonged to the first batch (2018) of scholars and Endencia was with the second batch (2019).
Plizardo obtained a master’s degree in tourism management, Servañez finished a bachelor of science in pharmaceutical engineering and Endencia, from Quezon town, graduated with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and automation technology.
After finishing their academic studies, they returned home but later went back to China after receiving job offers from their friends in Hainan.
Plizardo took a teaching job. It is unclear what jobs were offered to the two others.
One of the three lost contact with relatives in October last year. The family sought assistance from the technical working group of the Hainan Government Scholarship Program in November 2024.
No word since January
The Philippine Consulate in Guangzhou confirmed on Nov. 14, 2024, that the individual was under police custody.
Later, the families of the two other former scholars informed the Palawan provincial government that they had not been heard from since January.
In February, the Palawan provincial government was informed by the consulate in Guangzhou that one former scholar was also taken into police custody.
There was an unverified report that a third former scholar was also arrested. The arrest was later confirmed by the Philippine Consulate.
Maminta and the PIO confirmed the identities of the three who were arrested but declined to say who was the first to be apprehended. They also offered no other details. —WITH REPORTS FROM JACOB LAZARO AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
