Connecting the dots

The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has denied the espionage allegations against its detained citizen, Deng Yuanqing, and has asked the Philippines to refrain from making groundless speculations, as well as being allowed access to visit him. It may be recalled that Deng and two Filipino accomplices were arrested a few weeks ago for allegedly engaging in “intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations to the prejudice of our national defense.” They are accused not only of targeting military sites but also critical power infrastructure and installations, such as the Malampaya onshore gas plant.

The Chinese Embassy’s request to visit its detained citizen so it can render consular assistance is covered under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic and Consular Relations.

However, regarding its denial of the espionage allegations and asking the Philippine government to refrain from making groundless speculations, China should understand by now that despite its flaws, the Philippines is a democracy with freedom of expression and a free press. The Filipino people expect transparency from their government, and government officials have a responsibility to let its citizens know of matters and issues that are of concern and interest to the security of the nation.

The Chinese Embassy urges the Philippines to “base its judgement on facts,” so what are the facts? The two Filipino accomplices reportedly admitted to visiting military and police headquarters, municipal halls and other local government offices, and even power installations. The equipment confiscated is reported as capable of generating coordinates, which could be utilized for drone control and mapping terrain which can use real-time kinematic and global navigation satellite systems to transmit data directly to China. Furthermore, the devices contained an application enabling remote access to systems via the internet, allowing the suspect to extract data without physically entering facilities or accessing targeted devices.

In her call for an impartial investigation, Teresita Ang-See refers to the equipment seized as road surveying instruments. But this raises the question as to why would road surveying instruments have such capabilities, and why were they surveying military sites and critical installations? Locations of such facilities are blacked out or obscured on open sources such as Google Maps in the interest of national security.

While I agree with Ms. Ang-See’s call for an impartial investigation, it would be a mistake to ignore the wider implications of this incident if viewed in isolation from the wider perspective of our national security interests.

At a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo on Jan. 21, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad stated that, “If you look at the entire expanse of the country covering the different instruments of national power, and start connecting the dots, there seems to be a deliberate and calculated move to map out the country by a foreign power.” He added that aside from this incident and the Chinese sea drone recovered off the coast of Masbate on Dec. 30, 2024, four other sea drones were recovered last year.

Armed Forces spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla also noted that the military was “looking at the bigger picture” and “connecting the dots,” including the now-banned operations of Philippine offshore gaming operators.

By connecting the various dots that raise credible security concerns and figuring out what threads them together, our government will have a better understanding of the dangers and risks we face and what would be needed to address them effectively.

I am not privy to tools and information that the government has at its disposal to connect these dots, but from my civilian perspective, I see China’s provocative and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea and its disregard of our sovereignty and international law as the thread that connects alleged espionage activities, suspected sleeper cells, sea drones, and unauthorized marine scientific surveys in our exclusive economic zone by Chinese research vessels.

So pardon me if I can’t help making similar speculations about all these incidents and activities by China’s government and its nationals here in the Philippines. If the Chinese Embassy would like us to stop making “groundless” speculations, perhaps they should stop behaving in a manner that would make us doubt their intentions. Their actions speak louder than their words, and so far, the Chinese government has not yet given us any good reason to extend to them the benefit of the doubt.

——————

Moira G. Gallaga has served three Philippine presidents as protocol officer, and has been posted as a diplomat at the Philippine Consulate General, LA, and the Philippine Embassy, Washington.