China advises its citizens in PH: Beware of ‘traps and snares’
MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Embassy in Manila has released an advisory warning of “harassments” supposedly faced by Chinese citizens and the “unstable” social security in the Philippines.
The embassy called on Chinese nationals to take security precautions, minimize outings, stay away from crowds and political rallies, and “beware of falling into security traps and snares.”
“In recent times, the social security in the Philippines has been unstable. Philippine law enforcement agencies have frequently interrogated and harassed Chinese citizens and enterprises,” the embassy said in a statement as translated via Google.
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“Political rallies, marches, and demonstrations have increased significantly in various places, and the security risks faced by Chinese citizens and institutions in the Philippines have increased,” it added.
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Arrested ‘spies,’ Pogo raids
The embassy did not specify any case, but the advisory came in the wake of police and military operations that led to the arrest of several Chinese nationals accused of espionage.
Among them was Deng Yuanqing, 39, who was arrested in January for allegedly spying on military establishments. The embassy came to his defense and joined his family in denying the allegations.
Law enforcers had also been rounding up foreigners, mostly Chinese, who were caught still working at Pogos or Philippine offshore gaming operators, which the Marcos administration banned last year for alleged ties to online scams, human trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes.
The embassy advised Chinese nationals planning to go to the country to “do a good job of risk assessment and make prudent travel decisions.”
According to the Department of Tourism, China is now the sixth top source of foreign tourists in the country.
No particular target
Reacting to the embassy’s call, Malacañang press officer Claire Castro said, “We can assure China that we are not targeting any particular nationality or a particular national to harass.”
“We should remember that everyone is welcome here, except, of course, those who are committing crimes—then we will implement the law against you,” she said in a Palace briefing.
The Chinese Embassy’s statements, she said, probably stemmed from “our implementation of the Pogo ban, which involves mostly Chinese nationals. This was probably one of the issues.” —reports from Jacob Lazaro and Julie M. Aurelio
