Speculations that Chinese nationals recruited into the Philippine Coast Guard’s auxiliary force were spies “have no strong basis,” PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said Thursday.

“We have no solid basis to accuse them of being Chinese spies,” Balilo said, stressing that the Chinese went through a vetting process when they applied to join the service.

He said the applicants were ordinary businessmen recommended by Filipino-Chinese members of the PCG auxiliary force. “They have been helping the Coast Guard for a long time, but for humanitarian assistance and donations only,” he said.

Balilo said the Chinese applicants were required to submit clearances from the Bureau of Immigration, the Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation.

The Chinese nationals were excluded from the PCG’s sensitive operations. In December 2023, the PCG delisted 36 Chinese from its auxiliary force for lack of national security clearances.

According to Balilo, the Chinese joined the PCGA in 2015.

China claims nearly the South China Sea, which overlaps the West Philippine Sea. A 2016 arbitral ruling denied China’s SCS claim for being without basis while affirming the Philippines’ claim in the WPS.