MANILA – The government is taking a look on the supposed donations made by Chinese nationals who were recently arrested for alleged espionage.
According to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro, the authorities will thoroughly look into the donations made by Chinese “spies” to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and some local government units (LGUs).
“As of now ay pag-aaralan po natin iyan. Kung ito man po ay naging donasyon in good faith, kailangan po talaga natin malaman dahil hindi naman po masama ang tumanggap ng donasyon,” Castro said in a Palace media briefing.
“Hindi po iyan pababayaan ng Pangulo. Talaga po kapag ganiyan po ang balita at nakarating sa atin, kailangan po talagang imbestigahan iyan. Hindi po ito dapat palampasin,” she added.
Castro said there are similar situations during the pandemic, when several localities supposedly received various donations from China, including ambulances and vehicles.
She further said that accepting donations is not inherently wrong, as long as they are offered in good faith, but donations given with ulterior motives must be investigated.
“Wala pong masama kung tatanggap tayo ng donasyon if it’s done in good faith. So, kung ito naman po pala ay parang ibinigay pero mayroong kakaibang dahilan for that, kailangan po nating imbestigahan iyan,” Castro said.
Castro stressed the importance of understanding the true intent behind these donations and ensuring that any recipients, including local officials, are not unknowingly being used for dubious purposes.
Wang Yongyi, Wu Junren, Cai Shaohuang and Chen Haitao were among the Chinese nationals arrested in late January for allegedly gathering images and maps of Philippine naval forces near the West Philippine Sea.
The four reportedly donated cash and vehicles to local police forces and local governments through Chinese Communist Party-affiliated groups./PN
