Protesters stormed the Chinese Consular Office in Makati City on Thursday, April 24, to demand for the release of three detained residents of Palawan who were jailed by Chinese authorities for alleged espionage.

Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña said the group condemned the arrest of David Servañez, Albert Endencia, and Nathalie Plizardo, and claimed that the arrest was part of China’s “palit-ulo” hostage diplomacy. He added that the move is in retaliation for the Philippine government’s crackdown on suspected Chinese spies.

“Masyadong pa-main character ang China. Pilit nitong binabaliktad ang kwento para lumabas na sila ang dehado. Hindi espiya ang ating mga kababayan. Sila ay mga inosenteng migrant workers na nagtapos sa mismong scholarship program ng China at payapang naghahanapbuhay doon (China acts as if it's the main character. They are trying to twist the story to make it appear that they are the losers. Our countrymen are not spies. They are innocent migrant workers who graduated from China's own scholarship program and are peacefully making a living there)," Cendaña explained.

“It’s clear that China is retaliating for the arrest of their spies on our soil. They’ve stooped to a shameful ‘hostage diplomacy,’ a twisted palit-ulo tactic. China is no longer just a trespasser and harasser in the West Philippine Sea, it has become a hostage-taker of our overseas Filipino workers,” he added.

To maintain public attention on the plight of Servañez, Endencia, and Plizardo, Akbayan recently launched a petition to “Free the Palawan 3” which aims to pressure and hold China accountable for its continued abuses.

The group also called on the national government to safeguard the nearly 160,000 Filipinos living and working in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau against possible reprisals.

The lawmaker said he has called for the issuance of a travel advisory and/or risk alert for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and tourists bound for China, and the suspension of sister-city agreements between Philippine local governments and their Chinese counterparts.

“These agreements, once seen as channels for cultural exchange and solidarity, may now be putting our citizens at risk,” he stressed.

Reports show that the detained Filipinos were former scholars under a China-sponsored program born from a sister city agreement between Palawan and Hainan Province. After completing their studies, they returned to China as migrant workers.

Shut down Confucius institutes

Akbayan also demanded the closure of Confucius Institutes in Philippine universities and Chinese government-funded centers that, the party claims, may serve as vehicles for disinformation and espionage.

Citing the cases of the US and Sweden, where many Confucius Institutes have been shut down due to national security concerns, Akbayan called on the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to review and potentially terminate these programs.

“Until China recognizes the West Philippine Sea and our historic 2016 arbitral victory, these institutions must be closed. They risk spreading disinformation and, worse, may be used for espionage,” Cendaña stressed.