Chinese citizens arrested near the Philippine election commission on suspicion of spying equipment

The Chinese citizen was arrested by the FBI-equivalent Philippines on suspicion of spying after being allegedly found on the trunk of his car with an electronic eavesdropping device.

The man identified as 47-year-old Laos Hoi was reportedly on a grey Mitsubishi adventure parked outside the headquarters of the Philippine Election Commission (COMELEC) in Intramuros, Manila when he was arrested by the National Investigation Bureau (NBI) on April 29th.

The incident follows a recent Senate investigation that warned of China’s efforts to affect the democratic process in the Philippines as China’s communist regime grabbed an offensive island in the conflicted South China Sea. The Philippines is scheduled to vote in the medium term elections on May 12th.

The arrested man was in possession of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catcher, NBI said.

SPY devices that can mimic cell towers can intercept mobile calls, text messages, and location data within a signal range of 1-3 kilometers (approximately 0.5 to 2 miles).

Footage of the arrest showed suspected surveillance equipment on the trunk of a Laos vehicle. State media reports say the device is cooled by makeshift fans to prevent it from overheating during use.

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NBI spokesman Ferdinand Rabin told local media that after the investigation the device was brought to the Philippines as separate parts and was determined to have been assembled domestically.

“This is dangerous. This is dangerous to our national security issues,” the spokesman said, adding that there are concerns that the suspects were targeting COMELEC using IMSI devices.

“It’s a possibility. We’re not saying it’s that, but it’s a possibility. Why go to the Intramuros region, especially the Comelek?

He added that the NBI has surveillance footage of Laos and another Chinese man preparing suspected spy equipment near the Comelek property over the weekend.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago said his officers were tracking Lao for four days of his arrest on April 29th. They watched him roaming the cities of Makati and Tagig in their rental cars. The NBI approached him after observing that Laos had made several rounds around the comelec area of ​​his car.

The NBI said the investigation revealed information that allegedly proved that the Chinese were spying. The Philippine accomplice told investigators he visited the Palace, Camp Aguinaldo, Camp Creme, Villa Molar Air Base and the US Embassy.

Francis Trentino, the majority leader of the Philippine Senator, said the new arrests examined warnings from authorities about the threat of foreign interference in future elections. He said the IMSI is direct evidence of China’s secret operations in the Philippines.

“Arrests strengthen what we’ve revealed (in the Senate report). There are aggressive attempts to undermine the election,” he said.

He thanked the NBI for “timely and critical actions” to thwart Beijing’s “insid plan.”

Authorities charged LAO on April 30 for violations under the Cybercrime Prevention Act, Data Privacy Act, and the Spy Act of 2012.

“The seized equipment undergoes cyberforensic laboratory testing and data analysis to determine its intended use,” Rabin said.

The Philippine Department of Justice said whether Laos can be released on bail will be left to the immigration department as he is a foreigner. He is also accused of violating the Philippine immigration law.

Palace spokesman Claire Castro said it was amazing to know that China-linked spy devices were operating near Comerek headquarters.

“It’s so amazing… The president has this trust in the intelligence reporting agency that leads the surgery,” Castro told reporters at a briefing. “We have to wait for a final investigation into the issue.”

Laos told English reporters who broke at the scene of the arrest that he was a tourist and did not own the vehicle. He told NBI officials that he was “wandering around to take photos,” NBI director Jaime Santiago told local radio, True FM.

“Why is he getting data and images? His alibi of just being a tourist is incredible,” he said.

Santiago is said to have accompanied Laos by a local driver who had paid 8,000 Philippine pesos ($150) a day for service.

Laos arrived in the Philippines on April 25th with a passport issued by Macau. Macau will give holders a short stay without having to apply for a tourist visa. Local media reported that it was his first visit to the country and cited the Immigration Records Bureau.

COMELEC Chairman George Irwin Garcia said the tests showed “none of our systems have been breached” and that election data was not stored at headquarters.

“What is their purpose in doing that? To strengthen their mind conditioning efforts? We want to know that,” he said.

Chinese Spy

Trentino is asking the Philippine Foreign Office to summon Chinese ambassador, Juan Chillian, to deal with alleged espionage by Chinese tourists.

“If this Chinese citizen is proven to be a spy, this will have serious consequences for an already difficult relationship with Beijing,” said Philippine Sen. Lisa Hontiveros.

Just a few days ago, Trentino and Philippine National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya reported that authorities also found evidence of a social media “troll farm” operation, paid by checks linked to the Chinese embassy in Manila.

The Chinese Embassy condemned the allegations on April 30, accusing certain Filipino politicians of playing “Chinese cards” to enhance election chances.

Just a few days ago, the Chinese coast guard spread the Chinese flag on the sandbar within miles of the Philippines-occupied island, where the military base is located. After the Philippines responded with its own landing, China claimed that the island was part of its sovereign territory.

On April 29, the NBI revealed that ahead of the Philippine midterm elections, it had summoned a Makati-based company that was allegedly paid by the Chinese embassy to gather troops of “keyboard warriors” to promote the Chinese Communist Party’s Disformation Campaign on social media.

Santiago has urged the public not to spread the “anger food” that has been intentionally formulated to spark rage, increasing the scope of such content on social media.

“People should know what the bait for anger is,” he said. “If you come across these posts, you need to try to relax and calm them down. This allows you to think before promoting this with your social media algorithm.”

Santiago urged people to decide which parties can trust, on the importance of distinguishing accurate information and factual information and falsehood.

In the warning, the Lacas Christian Muslim Democrats asked the NBI to investigate the source of fake documents allegedly linking House majority leader Manuel Jose Dalipe to a fabric conspiracy to undermine the Duterte family’s politically.

The document stating that the group contained a forged signature was published in the Manila Times. According to Lacas director Anna Capella Velasco, it spread widely on social media on April 30, causing “severe reputational damage.”

The parties urged the NBI to request digital trace information from social media platforms.

“We are urging the NBI to treat this issue as urgently as possible,” Velasco said.

She warned that political hoaxes could erode trust in the Philippines’ democratic system a few days before the May 12 midterm elections.

On April 30, Philippine national security adviser Eduardo Año warned that the Philippine government had been produced to assert that the Philippine government would prioritize the Philippine Vice President Sarah Duterte’s ammo each.

“It’s totally fake news and manufacturing. No such documents exist in our records or even in the office of the Executive Director,” he told GMA News Online.

The United States is in charge of the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty with the Philippines and is engaged in the fight against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for public and political support in the region.