Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr has called for an urgent update to the country’s antiquated anti-espionage laws following allegations that a former mayor was involved in spying for China, exposing legal vulnerabilities that experts describe as a serious threat to national security.
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“This is a call to action,” Teodoro told reporters on the sidelines of a defence forum in Manila on Monday. “Our lawmakers know of the urgent need to amend our espionage law to punish those involved in such acts, and so that the government can move or act to suppress it.”
Teodoro’s appeal comes after Chinese national She Zhijiang, currently detained in Thailand on charges of facilitating illegal gambling, claimed in a recent Al Jazeera documentary that he began espionage activities in the Philippines in 2016 and collaborated with dismissed Philippine mayor Alice Guo on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security – a charge Guo vehemently denies.
“What is clear is that she is not a Filipino. Secondly, she falsified documents to pretend that she is a Filipino and thirdly, she was an active co-conspirator to a massive illegal criminal enterprise. If you are a Chinese national and engaged in such activities in this country, it still damages this country whether or not it is espionage,” Teodoro said.
Guo faces multiple charges, including graft and money laundering, related to her involvement in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) operations and alleged ties to Chinese criminal syndicates. Authorities uncovered evidence of scams and human trafficking linked to a Pogo facility located on land partially owned by her, prompting her ousting as mayor and a Senate investigation.
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