Marcos orders gov’t agencies to assist nabbed Filipinos in China

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PCO Photo)

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The government is taking immediate action to provide assistance to three Filipinos arrested in China for alleged espionage.

In a press briefing in Malacañang Monday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is committed to assisting Filipinos facing legal issues abroad.

“There’s always an instruction to help our Filipino citizens abroad facing this kind of charges.

Legal assistance will always be given,” Castro said.

According to a report by state-run China Daily, the three Filipinos were apprehended by Chinese authorities and accused of working for a certain “Philippine intelligence agency” to gather classified military information.

Chinese authorities claimed the individuals had confessed to the crime.

The National Security Council (NSC) disputed Beijing’s accusations, saying the three were former recipients of a government scholarship program created under an agreement between the southern Chinese province of Hainan and the Philippine province of Palawan.

The NSC added that the arrest of the Filipinos could be a retaliation for the series of legitimate arrests of Chinese nationals and accomplices in the Philippines for spying activities.

However, the Palace is taking caution and said there is no concrete evidence yet to support the claim.

“There is no yet concrete evidence if it is really a retaliation or a part of retaliation of the other country. We will not say that because there is no final investigation on that matter,” Castro said.