ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Were they spying on us? 36 Chinese 'auxiliary force' members kicked out of PCG

Were they spying on us? 36 Chinese 'auxiliary force' members kicked out of PCG

Published Mar 20, 2024 08:44 am

At A Glance

  • Chinese nationals were able to operate within the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the past two to three years--or maybe even longer--as part of the agency's "auxiliary force".
  • The PCG had delisted 36 such foreign nationals since last December. 

IMG-79f71189cbf1fd502fcf7ca875a7fcae-V.jpgSurigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't look now, but Chinese nationals were able to operate within the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the past two to three years--or maybe even longer--as part of the agency's "auxiliary force". 

This was learned during a House Committee on Transportation hearing Wednesday morning, March 20, wherein it was bared that the PCG had delisted 36 such foreign nationals since last December. 

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, raised this issue during the panel hearing. 

"Most of the members that were recruited as auxiliary coast guard were all Chinese...parang na-overtaken yung coast guard (it's as if the coast guard had been taken over)," said Barbers as he asked for clarification from the PCG. 

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan told the congressmen that they are now investigating the matter with the help of intelligence and national security agencies. 

This past year, the situation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) has been marked with increased tension between the Philippines and China. This was mainly due to the China Coast Guard's (CCG) continued harassment of PCG boats being sent on a resupply mission for Philippine troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. 

Gavin said he assumed his post only in October 2023. 

"Do you have any idea how long have they been a member of the auxiliary? Based on your records, your records would show," Barbers asked Gavan. 

"Around two to the three years, your honor. Some even before," said the PCG official. 

 

CLICK HERE:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/6/wps-protection-should-be-a-treated-like-a-major-budget-concern-from-now-on-gonzales

 

"So as you see, Mr. Chair, two to three years ago, these Chinese who have been a member of the auxiliary of the coast guard have been performing perhaps spying duties dito sa atin (here with us) in the guise of being auxiliary members...So I'm glad that you have already taken an action by delisting them," said the veteran lawmaker.

Gavan said that since taking over the reins at PCG, he has required foreigners who want to enter the agency to produce a national security clearance. 

Asked if the 36 Chinese nationals in the auxiliary force had national security clearances, Gavan said: "They don't have national security clearance. That's why we have delisted them." 

The official says they are looking into the possibility that PCG personnel are involved in the recruitment of the foreigners. This compromises the country's security, he says.

Related Tags

Robert Ace Barbers Philippine Coast Guard Chinese nationals West Philippine Sea
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.