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Philippines defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Photo: EPA-EFE

‘Preposterous’: Philippine defence secretary hits out at Chinese diplomat’s claim that Filipino workers in China are spies

  • Delfin Lorenzana has called for online casinos operating near military camps to be relocated over fears Chinese workers in such firms could be tapped to gather intelligence for Beijing
  • He rejected a Chinese envoy’s counterclaim that Filipino workers in China could be accused of the same
The Philippines’ defence secretary has rubbished counterclaims by Beijing’s envoy that Filipino workers in China could also be accused of espionage, days after he expressed security concerns over Chinese workers in the country.

Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday called for online casinos operating near military camps to be relocated over fears Chinese nationals working in such companies could be tapped to gather intelligence for Beijing.

According to government estimates, a majority of the 138,000 workers employed by online casinos – known in the country as Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) – are Chinese and the businesses cater mainly to customers from China.

“Knowing that Chinese companies are mandated by the Chinese government to assist in intel collection for their government, it is not far-fetched that individuals, likewise, could be compelled to do so,” Lorenzana said in a statement on Sunday.

China slams Philippines for undermining its cross-border gambling crackdown

A presidential spokesman said Beijing’s ambassador to Manila, Zhao Jianhua, had sent him a message saying that if Chinese workers in the Philippines were accused of being spies, the same could be said of Filipino workers in China.

Lorenzana rejected the statement, saying it was an absurd comparison.

“That’s the most preposterous statement I’ve heard in a long while,” he said. “There are no POGO-like centres in China that can be operated purely by Filipinos near Chinese military camps.”

The defence secretary said he believed the Chinese nationals at gaming centres were genuine workers, but the location of such establishments opened up the “potential” for espionage activities.

“It could be just coincidental these were the only facilities offered for POGO operations. I believe that the POGO workers are here just for work only,” Lorenzana said.

“What I am alarmed about is the potential that they could be tapped for info-gathering purposes,” he said. “That is why I support the relocation of the centres to economic zones that are not proximate to military camps.”

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Ramon Beleno III, political scientist at Ateneo De Davao University, cautioned officials against making such statements due to the impact it could have on Filipino workers in China. “It would affect our workers in Beijing,” Beleno said.

Lorenzana has increasingly been speaking out against Beijing. Last week, he raised opposition to the presence of Chinese warships passing through the Sibutu Strait near Tawi-Tawi since July, describing the issue as an “irritant”.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo agreed with the defence secretary, describing the situation as “not as an act of friendship”, ABS-CBN news reported.

He said the issue was an important one for President Rodrigo Duterte to raise during the upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping later this month.

“The incident has been repeatedly done and therefore has become an irritant,” he said.

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