NSA Año urges Congress to prioritize anti-espionage bills

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año urged Congress to prioritize passing amendments to the Espionage Act and the Countering Foreign Interference and Malign Influence Bill to impose tougher penalties on espionage activities.

He emphasized that strengthening the legal framework is crucial for effectively addressing evolving security threats and ensuring that those compromising national security face severe legal consequences.

Año's call comes after the arrest of a Chinese national, Deng Yuanqing, and his two Filipino accomplices, Ronnel Jojo Balundo Besa and Jayson Amado Fernandez, on January 17 in Makati City.

The suspects were apprehended by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The Chinese suspect is accused of sophisticated surveillance, espionage, and intelligence-gathering activities, including traveling to Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites on Luzon using equipment capable of creating 3D images of structures and a global navigation satellite system.

His Filipino cohorts allegedly aided him and were accused of traveling to Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites on Luzon using equipment capable of creating 3D images of structures and a global navigation satellite system.

The arrest and Año's subsequent call are seen in the context of fears that spies or sleeper agents may have infiltrated the country, heightened by the previous arrest of former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.