NSC, PNP validating Guo espionage story

DND chief: Espionage law needs amendment

MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) and police intelligence units are validating the claim of jailed tycoon She Zhejiang that dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo is a Chinese spy.

In an Al Jazeera documentary, self-confessed Chinese spy She, who is detained in Thailand, urged Guo Hua Ping – believed to be the Chinese name of Alice Guo – to “tell the world the truth.”

NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya told state television PTV4 that the council is studying She’s claims because of its security implications.

“We will have to consult with our partner agencies abroad so that we can piece together and find the real reason and real personality of Alice Guo, if she is really an agent of the PRC (People’s Republic of China),” Malaya said.

He said the information from She is for validation as he is a wanted criminal in China.

“He is being detained in Bangkok upon the request of the Chinese government. He is fighting extradition charges going to China,” Malaya said.

“If it turns out in our investigation that she is indeed a spy of the Ministry of (State) Security of the PRC, which is like the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency of the United States) or MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6 of the United Kingdom), it has a big implication because it means that the PRC has such operations going on in our country,” he added.

Last Friday, Guo became emotional during a congressional hearing after being shown the Al Jazeera documentary and She’s revelation as a self-confessed Chinese spy.

An Al Jazeera researcher also found that Guo’s address in Fujian province in China was the local office of the Chinese Communist Party.

‘Amemd espionage law’

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. yesterday called for an amendment of the country’s espionage law to punish those involved in spying activities even during times of peace.

Teodoro made his call to lawmakers for a tougher espionage law when he was asked about the identity of Guo as a Chinese spy that surfaced in a documentary on the curious case of She, who revealed about Chinese spies and an international conspiracy.

“What is important now is that we punish espionage in times of peace, because the espionage law in the Philippines is only effective during times of war. So also a call to action, our legislators know that they need to immediately amend the espionage law so that the government can act correctly and punish to suppress it,” Teodoro told reporters on the sidelines of the “Inaugural Balangay Forum: Safeguarding Philippine Maritime Interest” at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Guo, linked to a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub as allegedly one of its masterminds, has been accused of faking her identity and being a Chinese spy. She procured a fake birth certificate showing that she was born in the Philippines, which allowed her to qualify for a passport and run for mayor.

“What is clear is that she is not a Filipino. Secondly, she falsified documents to pretend that she is a Filipino and thirdly, she was an active co-conspirator to a massive illegal criminal enterprise where all illegal activities come from. If there is such, and being a Chinese national and engaged in such kind of activities in this country, it still damages this country, whether or not it is espionage,” Teodoro said.

“And that is what we have to look into and hopefully, prosecute speedily her conduct,” he added.

An official of the Philippine Navy yesterday called on the public to be vigilant of China’s “penetration” in Philippine society and political and economic systems to “destroy from within” amid the possible security threats.

The official warned of China’s presence within the country across all instruments of power, saying it is no longer coincidental.

PNP intel units’ probe

In a related development, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered its intelligence units to investigate allegations that Guo is involved in Chinese espionage activities in the Philippines.

At a news briefing in Camp Crame yesterday, PNP public information officer chief Col. Jean Fajardo said the Directorate for Intelligence and Intelligence Group is looking into reports that Guo is a spy.

“Regarding the allegation that she is a spy, intelligence units are definitely investigating that,” Fajardo added.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is probing Guo’s reported links to illegal POGOs.

An investigation is also ongoing to identify the personalities who helped Guo escape the country.

Why is POGO near military base?

Meanwhile, local officials should have been aware of and raised concern on the closeness of the location of the POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac to a military base in the province, Teodoro said yesterday.

The gang-run scam farm in Bamban, raided in March and linked to Guo as allegedly one of the masterminds, is close to Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.

“It is curious that a 32-building complex was operating within two minutes flying time away from the tradoc (training and doctrine command) and the light armor division,” Teodoro said in an ambush interview.

“And you know, all authorities should have been aware of this at that time, particularly local authorities,” he added.

The annual military exercises between the Philippines and the US are held at Camp O’Donnell, a military base and former US military reservation in the country.

The Philippine Army’s tradoc trains and educates Army forces and integrates doctrine with Army capabilities to strengthen land warfare competencies.

In his speech at the same forum at Camp Aguinaldo, Teodoro urged local officials to reject offers of individuals suspected of connections with syndicates.

“We should also make a call to action to our local officials and other people not to be tempted by spurious offers of cash or other assistance in order for international criminal syndicates and their ilk to have a foothold in this country because it is the easiest way to destroy the moral fabric, economic fabric and social fabric of this country,” he said.

UNODC visits POGO hub

The deputy regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) visited the raided scam farm in Bamban and found torture rooms.

The UNODC said Benedikt Hofmann’s visit to the POGO hub revealed that it is an example of a scam hub of the type that exists in many parts of the Philippines and across Southeast Asia.

There are estimated to be some 400 of these criminal enterprises in the Philippines alone and are almost always operated clandestinely and illegally alongside legal and licensed online gaming operations.

Hofmann said the scale and sophistication of the compound is surprising and it does not look very different from a well-established tech company.

POGOs flourished during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose presidency was marked by close ties to China.