Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. said the Philippines has no strategic interests in gathering intelligence about China’s internal affairs.

Teodoro lamented that the Philippines is more focused on defending its interests in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and not interfering with China's domestic matters.

“Ang interest natin iyong ginagawa nila sa WPS. Meron ba tayong interest kung anong nangyayari doon sa mga lugar na inaano na, ano pakialam natin doon, ‘di ba? (Our interest is what they are doing in the WPS. Do we have any interest in what is happening in those places they are talking about, what do we care about that, right?),” Teodoro pointed out in an ambush interview in Mandaluyong City.

He also cited the country’s lack of technical means to conduct espionage in China.

“Ano bang capability ng Pilipinong mang-spiya doon? Anong capability natin? Anong interest natin malaman kung anong nangyayari doon sa loob ng bansa nila? (What is the capability of the Filipinos to do espionage there? What is our capability? What is our interest in knowing what is happening inside their country?),” he said.

Earlier this month, a Chinese media outlet reported that the authorities in China had arrested three Filipinos, in which “conclusive evidence of their involvement in espionage” was “obtained.”

The three alleged Filipino spies were accused of receiving monthly payments from the Philippine intelligence agency, with additional bonuses for high-value intelligence.

According to the report, the security officials claimed that since 2021, “The Philippine intelligence agency has recruited and trained Filipino nationals living in China to gather information on the country’s military deployments.”

It also mentioned that the “three suspects have reportedly confessed and expressed remorse.”

Teodoro criticized China as a “closed society” and a “police state,” arguing that “no person with common sense” would attempt to carry out espionage under such tightly controlled conditions.

“Sa katunayan, sa closed society na police state, pwede bang mag-espiya ang isang tao, eh paggising mo pa lang alam na nila yung ginagawa mo. Sinong may sentido kumon gagawa nyan? Wala (In fact, in a closed society that is a police state, can anyone even spy when they already know what you're doing the moment you wake up? Who with common sense would do that? No one),” he said.