NBI nabs Chinese, 2 Pinoys for espionage

MANILA, Philippines — A suspected Chinese “sleeper agent” and his two Filipino cohorts, who have reportedly been going to vital military installations around the country, have been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly engaging in espionage activities.

At a joint press conference at the Department of Justice, the NBI filed a complaint of espionage under Section 1 (A) and 2 (A) of Commonwealth Act 616 in relation to Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, against Yuanqing Deng and his drivers Ronel Jojo Balundo Besa and Jayson Amado Fernandez.

Espionage is a non-bailable offense.

The NBI apprehended Deng outside a condominium unit in Makati City at around 7 p.m. last Friday after he reportedly failed to present a permit, license or any authority for unlawfully obtaining information affecting national defense.

Deng is a graduate of the PLA University Science and Technology, which is controlled and operated by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the military arm of the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Republic of China.

He is reportedly a specialist of control engineering and their automation and engineering discipline.

“I think he has been in the country for five years or more already… And we believe that he can be dubbed as a ‘sleeper’ because through our monitoring, he was acting just like an ordinary person,” NBI Cybercrime Division and Special Task Force chief Jeremy Lotoc said.

“As of the moment, we were able to establish that they are engaged in ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) operations … to the prejudice of our national defense, considering that their targets are mostly critical infrastructure that are connected to national security,” Lotoc added.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago, who confirmed the arrests yesterday, said the two Filipino suspects, Besa and Fernandez, executed an extrajudicial confession stating that “they were aware, they knew what they were doing.”

Reportedly recovered from the Toyota RAV4 vehicle with license plate NDN 2628 were suspected espionage equipment, including one unit Synology 6 bay NAS Disk Station, one unit TP-Link Router, one unit ruggedized fanless boxed PC, one unit NTP Server, one unit 2,000 watts power inverter, one unit video data logger with GPS, one unit 4TB Samsung external storage, one unit rechargeable GPS device with Smart SIM card, one unit concealed triple camera (accessory of video data logger), one unit LIDAR Sensor, one unit pocket WiFi, one unit portable screen, one unit GNSS antenna/receiver, one unit portable keyboard and one unit SanDisk solid state drive.

Santiago said the equipment recovered from the suspects were believed to have been smuggled into and assembled in the country.

Information about the arrest has been relayed to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, who convened an executive session with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.

Lotoc said that based on the NBI’s investigation, it was the AFP that gave them information about the possible espionage activities of Deng and his accomplices.

“The case involved intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations perpetrated by a group of Chinese nationals (aided) by local cohorts. We started our casing and surveillance last December and, with the assistance of the AFP, we were able to track them and identify each equipment,” Lotoc added.

The suspects reportedly have equipment that could create a 3D image of a target structure and has a navigation satellite system, which are used for guided missiles and could transmit data in real time.

The suspects reportedly frequent critical infrastructure, specifically military camps, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, local government offices, power plants, stations and shopping malls, according to Lotoc.

“Basically, they are collecting data and they have a remote application which in real time transmits outside. This application has a user that is based remotely outside of the country, who collects the data collected” by the suspected Chinese spy, the NBI official said.

The NBI could not confirm if Deng’s espionage activities were state-sponsored by a particular country or if it was the work of an organized crime group.