Photo: NBI 

MANILA, Philippines – National Bureau of Investigation Director Jaime Santiago slammed lawyer Ferdinand Topacio over his comment that spies should be using clandestine equipment for covert operations like illegal surveillance and not the kind intercepted from Deng Yuanqing, the Chinese arrested for alleged espionage acts in Luzon. 

“Wala siyang alam sa intelligence work,” Santiago said Thursday during the presentation of five more Chinese nationals caught doing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities in Palawan. 

“Sa amin sa intelligence kahit na kapirasong bote man ‘yan, kung ginagamit mo sa pagmamanman, useful ‘yan, noh. At hindi nangangahulugan na agent ka may maliit kang gadget, pwede ngang pagkalaki-laki ng equipment mo na covered naman,” he said. 

Santiago cited for example the long-range, high-resolution solar-powered Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) device installed on the subject vehicle boarded by Deng and two other Filipino cohorts during their January 17 arrest. 

“Look at that car, nakalagay dun sa ibabaw ‘yung lidar. Ordinary people will say taxi. Pero matindi ‘yan, alam niyo ‘pag tinamaan ka niyan, bumabyahe ka nag-e-emit ‘yan ng laser at ‘yung laser na ‘yun scientific ito, magiging prone ka sa cancer ‘pag tinamaan ka niyan,” Santiago said. 

“Ganun ka-dangerous ‘yung gamit nila, hindi lamang sa pag-su-surveillance including the health,” he said. 

Foreigners arrested for violating PH law, not for being Chinese 

Santiago also belied claims of Topacio, who represents Deng, of having seen “injustice” on the Philippine government’s “amateurish” and “very clumsy” way of handling foreign nationals caught allegedly performing spying activities in the country. 

He pointed out that tagging a Chinese national as a “spy” is not the way to get back at China despite the Philippine’s long-standing maritime dispute with the country. Accusations of espionage also according to Topacio is a grave claim that sours countries’ diplomatic relations. 

“Nag-po-pound siya doon sa Chinese spy, just to describe who they are, they are Chinese, alangan namang sabihing Japanese spy eh Chinese sila,” Santiago said. 

“Para bang gusto niyang pag-initin na pinag-i-initan namin because Chinese. Pinaliwanag ko na nga sa inyo na they were arrested not because they were Chinese but because they violated Philippine laws,” Santiago said. 

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