BI obtains records of Chinese national arrested for alleged espionage

On Wednesday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) stated it had obtained records related to a Chinese national arrested for alleged espionage activities in the Philippines.

The 39-year-old suspect has been traveling in and out of the country since 2013 and is reportedly married to a Filipina, which allowed him to obtain a permanent resident visa. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado revealed that the suspect studied at a university run by the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

According to Viado, the agency shared information with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for further investigation and has intensified its use of AI as part of modernizing border control processes.

The BI plans to initiate deportation proceedings against the suspect only after all local legal processes have been completed. The Chinese national was arrested on January 17th with two Filipinos, who were allegedly collecting data from military camps, power plants, and EDCA sites using a remote application.

Among the seized items included a Toyota Rav4 SUV equipped with devices for precise location tracking and mapping, which can be used in military applications such as artillery and missile guidance.