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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider AFP says it is 'ready to support' 3 Filipinos detained in China for spying

AFP says it is 'ready to support' 3 Filipinos detained in China for spying

Published Apr 4, 2025 03:11 am

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is prepared to assist the three Filipinos who were detained in China allegedly due to spying activities.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, however, noted that the military has yet to receive any official report on the status of the detained Filipinos from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

“The AFP recognizes the significance of this matter. As it falls under the purview of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), or DMW we defer to their expertise and mandate. The AFP remains ready to support as needed,” she said.

Padilla underscored that the DFA has been verifying the status of the detained Filipinos through appropriate diplomatic channels.

On Thursday, Chinese ministry on foreign affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun confirmed that three Filipinos were arrested by the Chinese government for allegedly spying in their country.

Chinese state-run media Global Times identified the Filipinos as David Servanez, Albert Endencia and Nathalie Plizardo. 

Servanez, according to the report by Global Times, has been a long-term resident of China and was detained after repeatedly loitering at military facilities, prompting Chinese authorities to raise suspicions.

Meanwhile, Endencia and Plizardo were former beneficiaries of China’s Hainan Government Scholarship Program established under a 2017 agreement that made Palawan and Hainan “sister provinces”. They went back to Hainan after graduating from the program to work alongside Servanez, the Global Times said.

Mr. Kuo Yu-jen, a professor at the National Sun Yat-sen University’s Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies in Taiwan, said the Filipinos’ arrest could be a form of retaliation by China after the Philippines arrested Chinese nationals who were accused of espionage in recent months.

“Chinese [are] usually doing this kind of hostage retaliation,” Kuo said in an interview over Taiwan Talks on March 22. “So those Palawan students arrested at Hainan Island is a direct result of Filipino crackdown.”

Government troops led by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and AFP have arrested at least 11 Chinese nationals suspected to have committed spying activities in the Philippines since January this year.

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