Persons harboring foreign spies to face charges —BI
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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Friday said it would file charges against individuals who will be found guilty of harboring and protecting foreign spies in the country.
According to Commissioner Joel Viado, the BI is now coordinating with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain information about the five Chinese nationals who were arrested for allegedly spying on Philippine Navy and Coast Guard assets in Palawan.
Viado said an initial investigation showed the foreigners have regular immigration status in the Philippines, adding to the suspicion that they have embedded themselves in society. He also said they are working closely with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to determine if there are individuals who assisted the suspects in their supposed illegal activities.
“Should we confirm that there are individuals—whether Filipinos or foreign nationals—that hid or assisted these alleged spies, we will file cases against them for harboring illegal aliens, in violation of Section 46 of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940,” said Viado.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. expressed deep concern over the incident earlier, saying he is awaiting further details on the suspects' activities as he noted that some of them had been in the country for a long time.
On Thursday, NBI Director Jaime Santiago announced the arrest of the foreign suspects after their return from Palawan, where they allegedly conducted aerial surveillance.
Two suspects were arrested at the NAIA on Jan. 24, one in Binondo, and another in Intramuros on Jan. 25. The alleged leader was arrested on Jan, 25 in Dumaguete where he lived with his wife.
Santiago said those arrested were a field commander, two intelligence operatives, a financier, and a member. He also said the suspects allegedly used drones to capture close-up images of Philippine Navy vessels.
The arrests followed a previous operation that led to the capture of another Chinese national and two Filipinos for suspected espionage.
NBI Cybercrime Division chief Jeremy Lotoc said the bureau received a tip that a group of Chinese, posing as product buyers, were frequently seen in Ulugan Bay, Puerto Princesa, a strategic naval location. —LDF, GMA Integrated News