Three Filipino civilian employees—one from the Department of National Defense (DND), another from the Philippine Navy (PN), and a third linked to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel—allegedly became involved in espionage after seeking side jobs for extra income. Philippine Navy Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), said the suspects were recruited after posting résumés on job platforms such as LinkedIn.

Trinidad identified the suspects with aliases Lawrence, Allison, Danny, and Charles, who reportedly established a network with multiple foreign personnel. “They were happy initially because they thought they had a job already,” Trinidad said. The work appeared legitimate, involving the writing of geopolitical analyses for research firms. However, Trinidad revealed the suspects earned four- to six-digit compensation for the information provided, along with large bonuses.

Payments ranged from P1,000 to P100,000 and were delivered through e-wallets. Trinidad stated the three worked independently but followed a common modus operandi. The National Security Council (NSC) believes the operation was state-sanctioned by China, citing links to naval strategic plans and basing operations.

One individual allegedly involved from 2023 to 2025 previously cited financial need as a primary motivation, stating he realized the nature of the work too late. For over two years, recruits reportedly provided sensitive defense and diplomatic information disguised as academic queries. This included Philippine defense and foreign policy positions, roll-on/roll-off mission schedules to Ayungin Shoal, and the names of personnel aboard BRP Sierra Madre (LS57) and other detachments.

Trinidad noted that one recruit recognized the gravity of the situation after reports emerged of a PCG vessel nearly sinking at Escoda Shoal, linking the event to intelligence previously shared. He stated the information passed may have compromised the lives and safety of AFP and PCG personnel. The PCG added that the activities were purely financial, involving hefty salaries and bonuses.

A fourth suspect, a civilian employee in another government agency, is under investigation as an “upline” handler. Meanwhile, a uniformed Navy officer avoided recruitment after recognizing the sensitive nature of the queries. National Security Adviser Eduardo Año described the operation as “alarming,” though he noted the leaked data was “sensitive but not that high.”

Trinidad stated that investigations by government agencies are a response to a national security threat rather than a smear campaign. "These are real people, may totoong confession, we have the full kaboodle of, shall I say, all the reports, all the trackings,” Trinidad explained. He described a pattern of subtle attempts to extract information and infiltrate the cognitive domain of Filipinos.

The Chinese Embassy issued a statement on Friday claiming the findings were fabricated. In response, Trinidad said, “We are bringing this out in the open, sapagkat, number one the Filipino people need to be aware na part of the stagecraft of the Chinese Communist Party is to co-opt our mindset.”