PCG: No strong basis to accuse Chinese auxiliary members of being spies

There is no strong basis to speculate that the Chinese nationals recruited to the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) auxiliary force were spies, according to PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo on Thursday.

“Wala po tayong matibay na basehan para maakusahan silang mga Chinese spies,” Balilo said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview.

“Nagkaroon din kami ng vetting noong sila ay nag-apply at matagal na po silang tumutulong sa Coast Guard sa aspect lang po ng humanitarian assistance, donation,” he added.

(We have no solid basis to accuse them of being Chinese spies. We also had a vetting process when they applied. They have been helping the Coast Guard for a long time but for humanitarian assistance and donations only.)

According to Balilo, the agency also required them to submit clearances from the Bureau of Immigration, the Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Balilo pointed out that the Chinese nationals were not involved in PCG’s sensitive operations, adding the Chinese nationals were just ordinary businessmen recommended by Filipino-Chinese members of the PCG auxiliary force.

If there were reports that these Chinese nationals are spies, Balilo said the National Security Council (NSC) will monitor and deal with them.

In a congressional hearing on Wednesday, PCG  commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan said the agency has delisted 36 Chinese individuals as auxiliary force members due to lack of national security clearance.

“We did conduct an investigation. We went though intelligence and national security agencies of the [Philippine government], and we have delisted 36 of them,” Gavan told lawmakers.

“We did check on their compliance and standards [we have] set [for them], and we found out that they did not comply so we initiated their delisting. They are now delisted,” he added.

Gavan explained that the requirement of having a national security clearance for PCG auxiliary force members was only implemented when he was named PCG commandant by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in October 2023. —KBK, GMA Integrated News