Filipino spies for China: Rappler’s investigative series uncover internal threat to national security

CHEERS TO Bea Cupin of Rappler for her investigative report revealing in detail Filipinos’ suspected espionage activities for China. 

The National Security Council (NSC) said in a statement on March 4 that it had uncovered spying operations in the country through various government agencies’ Insider Threat Program (ITP). The program revealed the involvement of three Filipino nationals who admitted to have gathered confidential information for foreign handlers. 

Rappler’s exclusive did more than just cite official statements made by those involved, including in the report, firsthand accounts of Filipinos who were recruited to engage in such espionage. 

Cupin’s three-part investigative series, released March 4 to 6, revealed the engagement of three Filipinos in espionage for China from 2023 to 2025. Two were former junior employees of the Department of National Defense (DND). One had ties to a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) member. 

An elaborate scheme

Cupin’s reports provided details about the specifics of recruitment. The process first identified the potential recruits, establish contact with the individuals on social media platfoms by handlers working for Chinese nationals. The recruits were offered jobs that seemed legitimate and promised additional income. However, the recruits were not told who they were working for. 

Cupin described some elements of the pattern: recruits were young and promising; but all were facing grave financial difficulties.  She highlighted how Chinese nationals and its handlers exploited the financial vulnerability of the recruits, increasing monetary offers depending on the confidentiality of information they provided. 

Cupin also described the strategies employed by the handlers, describing how recruits were offered these jobs in the course of what seemed ordinary circumstances of daily work.  

The DND employees had access to sensitive information due to the nature of their work. Upon recruitment, they were tasked with producing written outputs that offered information about the country’s defense strategies. Initially, the work called for only simple outputs such as open-source information.  But eventually the demand for information included content found in restricted documents, suggesting that the work could be involved in harmful operations.   At this stage, their failure to deliver on these demands subjected them to verbal abuse and coercion. 

Cupin included an account as an example of the lack of security measures in PCG’s security protocols. 

In August 2024, an individual with ties to a PCG member was asked to pass on to his handlers group chats containing details about WPS resupply missions, particularly in August 2024. He passed on information to his handlers, later realizing it allowed the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) to anticipate PCG’s plans 

Released in video format, Cupin’s three-part investigative series presented the report more effectively, sharing the extent of the problem and demonstrating the vulnerability of security measures. 

Media plays a constructive role in exposing the vulnerability or lack of security measures to protect sensitive information and confidential operations of law enforcement agencies. Secrecy is required for the protection of espionage operations. But those involved must be aware of the vulnerability of operations, and this weakness needs to be exposed so more effective measures for security can be developed. 

Media must report the need to review and update the country’s outdated laws dealing with espionage as these were formulated decades ago and are no longer adequate to address the present challenges that threaten our national security and sovereignty. 

Journalists must expose the weaknesses in military programs and security protocols, publicizing gaps that make these operations vulnerable. Such conditions include the inadequate compensation given to those assigned to sensitive tasks. Such responsibilities should be appropriately compensated, given the sensitivity of the given assignments. Every effort must be made to keep them invulnerable to the call to spy for the other side. 

Reports can also do the work of calling attention to inadequate salaries provided in government agencies.