The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) cautioned job hunters on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to be wary of fake employment opportunities being offered by foreign individuals who may be engaged in spying activities.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla urged those who are seeking jobs to be extra vigilant following the arrest of three Filipinos who were hired as drivers by two suspected Chinese spies.
“It’s not all about getting the payment out of this [employment] but we call on the nationalism and patriotism of our kababayans. Look at the implications of your involvement in these activities. If you observe suspicious activities by different entities in your community, report it to the authorities,” Padilla told reporters on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
The AFP’s plea came after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) presented to the public two Chinese and their three Filipino cohorts who were arrested for alleged spying.
The Chinese suspects were identified by the NBI as Ni Qinhui and Zheng Wei, who were apprehended at a condominium unit in Malate, Manila last Feb. 20.
The NBI said that the Chinese suspects hired their three Filipino cohorts – identified as Omar Khan Kashim Joveres, Leo Laraya Panti, and Mark Angelo Boholst Binza – as drivers to roam around military camps and government offices in Metro Manila using a vehicle installed with international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers.
The suspects allegedly operated near the Malacañan Palace, AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Philippine Air Force base in Villamor Air Base, Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, and the United States Embassy among others.
“They use IMSI catchers which are also known as ‘stingrays’ or ‘cell-site simulators’. These are surveillance tools that mimic legitimate cell towers and intercept mobile communications. We found out that the suspects were going around military camps, police camps, and other salient features and facilities,” Padilla explained.
The Filipino suspects were arrested in a separate interdiction operation in Bulacan and Metro Manila.
According to Padilla, the AFP first noticed “abnormal cell tower behavior” in its camps which prompted the military to verify what caused the signal disruption.
“We have detectors and catchers which alerted us of the abnormal behavior,” she said.
The AFP is now working with the NBI and other government agencies to determine the national security implications of the incident.
“What they targeted are critical infrastructures. Of course, since among those are military camps, we’re looking at the involvement of possible espionage and foreign intelligence operations, the threat to government and military communications. We want to know who their targets are and if these are cyber-related and enabled disinformation and psychological operations,” Padilla said.
The AFP is also trying to determine if the suspects are connected to the suspected Chinese spies caught in the past months.
Last Jan. 17, the NBI and AFP arrested a Chinese man and his two Filipino cohorts in Makati City due to alleged espionage.
Shortly after that, the NBI and AFP also collared five Chinese nationals who were accused of conducting illegal intelligence gathering activities on Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard facilities and assets from Jan. 24 to 25.