Palace to probe donations from alleged China spies

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang wants an investigation on cash and vehicle donations made by suspected Chinese spies to police and local government units (LGUs), in order to rule out bribery.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said there is nothing wrong with accepting donations as long as these are done in good faith or the donations are not meant to solicit favors.

She cited the donations given by China to Davao City during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will study that. We have to determine if they are donations in good faith,” Castro said at a press briefing yesterday.

“If they were given for other reasons, we need to investigate the LGU officials who received them so it will not be repeated, if ever they were used or if they are not aware that they were used,” she added.

News service Reuters recently reported that four Chinese nationals accused of espionage had led Chinese Communist Party-affiliated groups that donated cash to the Tarlac City government and vehicles to two police units.

The suspected spies were among the five Chinese men detained by Philippine authorities in January for gathering images and maps of Philippine Navy troops near the South China Sea, according to the report.

The donations, namely a P500,000 check to the Tarlac local government, 10 motorbikes to the Manila city police and 10 patrol vehicles to the Tarlac police and city government, were turned over during separate events.

Castro said the government would also look into claims that Chinese nationals engaged in illegal activities have protectors among top police officials.

“The President will not ignore that. If news like that reaches us, it really needs to be investigated. This should not be given a pass,” she said.

The Reuters report identified the four suspected Chinese spies as Wang Yongyi, Wu Junren, Cai Shaohuang and Chen Haitao. They were accused of using drones to gather information about the Philippine Navy.

The Philippines and China are embroiled in a longstanding maritime row over the West Philippine Sea, the portion of the South China Sea that is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

In 2016, an international court based in The Hague ruled that China’s maritime claim in the South China Sea, which covers practically the entire strategic sea lane, has no legal basis. China has refused to recognize the ruling, dismissing it as illegal and a mere piece of paper.

Last month, Castro cited the need to intensify security measures following the arrest of two suspected Chinese spies who allegedly roamed around Malacañang, military and police camps and other vital facilities.

‘Donations’ confirmed

The Manila city government confirmed receiving motorcycles and meeting with members of a group linked to the five arrested Chinese spies.

In a statement yesterday, Princess Abante, spokesperson for Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, said the donation of motorcycles – composed of nine 2016 models and a 2015 model with an amount of P14,500 per unit – was referred to the city government by current city administrator Bernardito Ang in September 2022.

The donation came from the Qiaoxing Volunteer Group, which Wang’s group formed in 2022 after the creation of their first group Philippine China Association of Promotion of Peace and Friendship in 2016, the Reuters report said.

Abante pointed out that the turnover of the motorcycles in September 2022 “was the only occasion in which Mayor Honey Lacuna met with Wang Yongyi of the Qiaoxing Volunteer Group… there were no prior or subsequent engagements between them,” she said.

The City Legal Officer and the City General Services Office reviewed the donations and their corresponding documents and found them “to be in order and were duly registered with the Land Transportation Office prior to the turnover,” Abante noted.

Aside from the motorcycles, Abante maintained that the city government “did not receive any cash donations from the group,” and that “there were no further donations from them afterward.”

She noted that the city government is checking whether or not the donated motorcycles remain operational.

Former Manila Police District chief Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon, who currently leads the police regional office in Region 5 or Bicol, confirmed to The STAR his presence during the turnover when he represented the MPD to receive the donation of motorcycles.

He recalled he only greeted and shook hands with Wang’s group. He also pointed out he did not know any of them.

The Philippine China Association for the Promotion of Peace and Friendship Inc. and Qiaoxing Volunteer Group of Manila Philippines took part in a medical mission organized by the office of Vice Mayor John Marvin Nieto in Quiapo, Manila in April 2024. — Ghio Ong