Possible spy balloon seen over PH in 2022, defense analyst says; AFP says reports unconfirmed

Amid reports of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon flying over the United States, a defense analyst said Sunday that a possible spy balloon was allegedly spotted in the Philippines last year.

International studies Professor at the De La Salle University Dr. Renato De Castro said this after US military fighter aircraft shot down with a missile an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday. China condemned the military strike and said the airship was used for meteorological and other scientific purposes.

“Tandaan natin na nakakita rin tayo ng pictures nu'n [suspected spy balloon] sa Pangasinan at sa Baguio,” De Castro said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(Let's remember we also saw pictures of that in Pangasinan and Baguio.)

“Nili-link ko rin ‘to sa mga reports ng Philippine Air Force na may mga unidentified aircraft na pumasok sa Pangasinan mula Bolinao,” he added.

(I’m also linking this to the reports of the Philippine Air Force that unidentified aircraft earlier entered Pangasinan from Bolinao.)

However, in a message to GMA News Online, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Colonel Medel Aguilar said these were “unconfirmed reports.”

Based on a video by GMA News Feed, a resident of Natividad, Pangasinan said he saw a mysterious aircraft on December 18. The Pangasinan Youth for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management also said they spotted the aircraft in different parts of the province.

An unidentified flying object was also noticed over Loakan Airport in Baguio City.

A senior US defense official claimed that Chinese balloons were spotted over countries across five continents, including in East Asia, South Asia, and Europe, over the past several years, based on a report by Reuters.

This issue prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone his visit to China this week. —KG, GMA Integrated News