The suspected Chinese spy who has been arrested has been found residing in the Philippines since 2013, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Friday, Jan. 23.
Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the BI discovered that suspected spy Deng Yuanqing first arrived in the Philippines in 2013 and was later issued a residence visa for marrying a 36-year-old Filipina.
“Verification of his records revealed that he has been living in Metro Manila, and has traveled in and out of the country numerous times for almost 12 years,” Viado said.
He said the BI is currently working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) as well as other law enforcement agencies to investigate the alleged spy. he also said the bureau has been supplying Philippine intelligence authorities with the information needed to identify links to the foreigner.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested Deng and his two suspected Filipino cohorts in Makati City last Jan. 17.
They are facing a non-bailable espionage charge under Section 1(a) and 2(a) of Commonwealth Act of No. 616 in relation to Republic Act (RA) 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
“We are not taking this lightly,” Viado said.
“Any threat to our sovereignty will warrant the full action of BI, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies,” he added.