Five Chinese nationals were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation-Special Task Force (NBI-STF) for alleged spying activities that threaten the Philippines’ security.

The operation followed the arrest last 17 January of one Deng Yuanqing, also for illegal intelligence gathering. Nabbed with Deng was his two alleged Filipino cohorts.

The Chinese, including the latest to be collared, were believed to be engaged in aerial reconnaissance of naval assets using drones.

NBI chief Jaime Santiago said the suspects were not arrested because they are Chinese nationals, but because they violated Philippine laws.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, along with the NBI, has been conducting surveillance operations against the Chinese monitored in Barangay Buenavista, Puerto Princesa City.

They posed as buyers of marine products and frequenting Ulugan Bay, Puerto Princesa to collect images of the Naval Detachment Oyster Bay (NDOB) in Barangay Bahile.

The NDOB is part of the Philippine Navy’s Naval Forces West (Navforwest) and is strategically positioned facing the South China Sea.

Acting on the intelligence information, NBI agents conducted a validation process and identified five members of the group, all Chinese nationals and members of the Qiaoxing Volunteer Group of the Philippines, as well as the Philippine China Association of Promotion of Peace and Friendship, Inc.

The five were identified as Cai Shaohuang, alias Richard Tan Chua (field commander); Cheng Hai Tao, alias Lestrade (intel operative); Wu Cheng Ting, alias Brawn (intelligence operative); Wang Yong Yi, alias Watson (financier); and Wu Chin Ren (member).

The suspects were arrested in a series of hot-pursuit operations conducted by NBI agents on 24-25 January.

Analysis of the running applications on the seized mobile devices revealed photos of Buliluyan ports, Coast Guard station, vessels, small navy craft/assets and docks.

Other images showed the Philippine Navy’s Del Pilar-class PS 16, terrain maps overlooking the Subic Bay International Airport, Naval Operating Base Subic, and a Chinese character marking embedded on a screenshot with an arrow from Barreto, Olongapo, pointing to Naval Operating Base Subic.

Also discovered were footage of Philippine Coast Guard vessels BRP Theresa Magbanua and BRP Gabriela Silang docked in the PCG-Maritime Safety Service Unit NCR-Cluster.

The subjects were informed of their constitutional rights and brought to the NBI main office for standard booking procedures.

They underwent inquest proceedings before the Office of the State Prosecutor, Department of Justice, for violations of Commonwealth Act 616, Section 1(a) and 2(b), in relation to Republic Act 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.