Quad Comm unveils POGO illegal syndicate matrix
The government has implemented “effective counterintelligence efforts” to address the activities of Chinese spies and other foreign operatives working within the country, National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said.
“The Philippines’ counter intelligence efforts are not only against People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of State Security spies but also other foreign spies operating in the country,” Malaya said.
This came after a House panel discussed a documentary alleging the presence of Chinese sleeper agents in the Philippines.
In the Al Jazeera documentary, She Zhijiang, a self-confessed PRC-MSS agent, released a “dossier” containing information about dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s alleged espionage work in the Philippines.
“Guo Huaping, China can’t be trusted. The two of us once dedicated our lives to China’s Ministry of State Security. Look at what happened to me. I don’t want to be eliminated. You should tell the world the truth,” Zhijiang said when asked by Al Jazeera if he had a message for Guo.
Malaya, however, emphasized the need for caution, stating that Zhijiang’s credibility was questionable given his status as a wanted criminal and leader of an international crime syndicate.
“We have yet to validate the information mentioned (in the documentary), considering that the person is not entirely credible,” he said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines also assured the public they have “contingency plans in place” in response to reports of foreign spy operations in the country.
“Our intelligence operatives are doing their roles in this. We are getting all the information that we need,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said.
Zhijiang admitted to being recruited as a Chinese spy in 2016 while in the Philippines. He claimed Guo solicited his financial support for her mayoral campaign in Bamban.
Guo denied the accusations and expressed her intent to file formal charges against Zhijiang.
“I am not a spy. Totally, I am not a spy. I am not the person (being referred to) in the picture. I think our government agencies can prove one day that I am not a spy because I am really not one,” Guo told Quad Committee chairperson Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers.
Al Jazeera released the 25-minute documentary titled “The Curious Case of She Zhijiang” on Sept. 26 amid the ongoing congressional probe into the alleged ties of Guo to illegal POGOs and its connection to China.
As this developed, the Quad Committee uncovered a deeply entrenched criminal syndicate, allegedly led by former President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic adviser, Michael Yang, and his associate Allan Lim—with crimes ranging from drug trafficking and money laundering to running illegal POGOs.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. and Deputy Speaker David Suarez jointly presented a detailed matrix showing how Yang and Lim, alongside their fellow Chinese nationals, masterminded the complex criminal network.
“These Chinese nationals are setting up corporations all over the country, taking advantage of our laws by perpetrating and promoting illegal activities, to the great prejudice of our country and the Filipino people,” said Gonzales.
“The cast of characters seems connected and consistent. A criminal enterprise has penetrated us and has been operating with ‘quiet impunity’ – and out of these operations, it is consuming and becoming a monopoly to crimes that strike at the very basic fundamental rights – human trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution, murder, love scams, crypto scams and all cyber scams,” Suarez said.
Suarez revealed that Yang and Lim used legitimate businesses as fronts for their criminal activities, with DCLA Plaza, a shopping mall in Davao, allegedly serving as a hub for Yang’s drug distribution network.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Philippines has ‘effective counter-intel’ vs. foreign spies — NSC.”
