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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Entry of 36 Chinese nationals in PCG should serve as a 'lesson'--Acidre 

Entry of 36 Chinese nationals in PCG should serve as a 'lesson'--Acidre 

Published Mar 21, 2024 03:47 pm

At A Glance

  • House Deputy Majority Leader Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre says the entry of 36 Chinese nationals in the ranks of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) should serve as a "lesson".

alejandro-luengo-jL0tMFYOdBM-unsplash.jpgFlag of China (Usplash)

National agencies with auxiliary forces must be more discerning of the people they accept into their ranks.

This was House Deputy Majority Leader Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre's reaction to the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) recent revelation that it had delisted 36 Chinese nationals as auxiliary force members.

Acidre said that while the delisting was a "welcome development", it still raises questions as to how to foreigners were recruited to the PCG in the first place.

“I call on all the agencies that have auxiliary bodies or institutions like the PCG auxiliary. I hope they look into the qualifications. I hope that this should be a lesson for us moving forward,” he said in a press conference Thursday, March 21.

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan had revealed to the House Committee on Transportation a day earlier that the 36 Chinese nationals had no national security clearance. Because of this, they were kicked out of auxiliary force last December.

These foreigners were able to remain with the PCG for no less than two or three years, Gavan said.

Acidre said the presence of the Chinese nationals in the PCG constituted a threat to the country’s security.

ALSO READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/20/were-they-spying-on-us-36-chinese-auxiliary-force-members-kicked-out-of-pcg

“I'm sure there will be people who should be made accountable. It's not what we can consider an honest mistake, I'm sure the concealment is something that's malicious and that is a serious threat to national security,” he said.

“Bakit sila nakapasok? Sino 'yung mga nagpahintulot? Who turned a blind eye? I'm sure, hindi naman pwedeng nangyari lang 'yon ng sila lang eh,” noted the House leader.

(How did they enter the PCG? Who gave them permission? Who turned a blind eye? I'm sure that didn't happen with nobody else involved.)

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the one who raised the issue during the Committee hearing, suspected the Chinese nationals of doing spy work amid the continuing tensions between Manila and Beijing in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

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jude acidre Philippine Coast Guard west philippine sea
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