NSC official: Some local bets backed by China

There are candidates for the May 2025 polls who are reportedly backed by China, National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said on Thursday. — File photo by Arnel Tacson/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — There are candidates for the May 2025 polls who are reportedly receiving support from China, National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya disclosed on Thursday.

READ: China interfering with PH’s May 2025 polls, says NSC’s Malaya

In an ambush interview after the Senate’s special panel on maritime and admiralty zones’ hearing, Malaya refused to name the candidates backed by China, but maintained they had identified these individuals.

“It’s good we weren’t asked about this earlier, because if we’re asked about that, we have to request an executive session. But yes, we have identified the candidates,” Malaya told reporters in Filipino.

“It came out in the hearing earlier that Sen. [Francis] Tolentino is one of the politicians being bashed because of his position on the maritime zones law,” he added.

But apart from information operations, would it be possible that these candidates are being backed by China in monetary terms?

Malaya said yes.

“We have seen that, that’s one of the tricks of the trade. So it’s perfectly possible that there is money involved here,” he said.

In a separate press conference on Thursday, Tolentino said it was alarming that candidates had resorted to schemes such as this, calling it a heinous act.

“That’s an abomination. They are deceiving us,” Tolentino said in Filipino.