MANILA, Philippines — Three of five submersible drones found in Philippine waters between 2022 and 2024 are likely to have been deployed by China, a senior Philippine Navy (PN) official confirmed Tuesday.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, spokesperson for the PN’s West Philippine Sea operations, said in a press briefing that analysis suggests a “55 to 80 percent likelihood” that the undersea equipment came from the Chinese Communist Party.

“There is a 55 to 80 percent likelihood that these were deployed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Trinidad stated. “Why 55 to 80 percent is because of the components inside. Not all of them have markings that were made in China. Others are available commercially off the shelf. They have the capability to receive, to process, to store, and to transmit data through satellite communications to a station on land, to a mothership, or to other drones.”

While the origin could not be definitively confirmed, Trinidad said the findings strongly suggest a Chinese link. “We are not categorically stating where they came from, but there is a 55 to 80 percent likelihood per the report,” he added.

The recovered drones were found in various locations: Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte in July 2022; off the coast of Zambales in September 2022; Calayan Island, Cagayan in August 2024; Initao, Misamis Oriental in October 2024; and San Pascual, Masbate in December 2024. Of the five, the third drone was described as the most intact.

Each unit underwent Level 1 forensic analysis, focusing on physical traits such as size, weight, color, and identifying marks. Two of the drones were found to be equipped with conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) sensors. Some internal components, such as integrated chips, had been sanitized or altered to obscure their origin.

“Others had defaced markings to probably prevent reverse engineering or to hide the identity of the source,” said Trinidad. He noted that one unit contained a serial-numbered iridium transceiver linked to Beijing-based HWA Create, a company specializing in defense and civil solutions. The same drone also held a China Telecom SIM card.

Trinidad added that the fourth drone included CTD sensors and a battery pack labeled with “China Electronics Technology Corps.” Meanwhile, the second drone was too damaged for data extraction, and the fifth is still under examination.

The recovered data focused on bathymetric details, salinity, temperature, and underwater sound propagation. National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said these findings suggest attempts to chart the Philippines’ seabed.

“They are also in all likelihood deployed by China to map the Philippines’ underwater terrain,” Malaya told reporters, calling the incident a serious national security concern.

“This only shows that we need to undertake more maritime patrols in more parts of the country to stop these types of activities,” he said.