THE assistant director general of the National Security Council (NSC) this week expressed skepticism over the claims by a jailed Chinese businessman in Thailand that dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo was a spy for China.
In an interview on Tuesday with Lia Badillo-Crisostomo for “PrimeTimes,” a program that streams on all social media platforms of The Manila Times, Malaya said the broader implications of the claims made by confessed Chinese spy She Zhejiang were not lost on the local intelligence community.
“Espionage is a reality in the Philippines,” Malaya said. “And it is likely that foreign spies are operating here. However, the details surrounding this case (involving Guo) don’t add up, particularly in terms of the response — or lack thereof — from Chinese authorities.”
Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Reports have surfaced about the revelations linking She Zhejiang with the espionage activities in the Philippines.
She Zhejiang is a figure known to security circles as the “online scam king” with significant ties to organized crime and who operates out of a lawless area in Myanmar. He was arrested in Thailand in 2022 at the request of Chinese authorities.
However, in a recent Al Jazeera documentary, She Zhejiang claimed he was an operative for China’s principal civilian intelligence, security and secret police agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), and was recruited in 2016 by someone he met in the Philippines.
He produced papers to support his claim of being a Chinese spy. Among these documents was a case history that identified Guo as “Guo Hua Ping,” her supposed Chinese name. The paper listed China as Guo’s birthplace and named her mother as Lin Wen Yi, the same woman mentioned during Senate hearings on Guo’s identity.
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo listens to National Security Council (NSC) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during The Manila Times (TMT) PrimeTimes interview with Atty. Lia, at the TMT newsroom in Intramuros on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
He even admitted to speaking with Guo through her handler’s phone when she requested financial assistance for her mayoral campaign.
He said he refused the request to avoid offending the Philippine government.
Gou denied all the allegations.
She is accused of being involved in human trafficking.
The former mayor is also facing multiple charges, including money laundering, tax evasion, and graft and corruption for her involvement in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
Malaya said the unfolding situation raises questions regarding the extent of foreign espionage activities in the Philippines and, at the same time, the credibility of claims connecting these operations to China’s MSS.
However, Malaya said Philippine intelligence officers remain cautious, noting that such allegations may be part of a broader attempt by the suspect to internationalize his case and divert attention.
“We have to tread carefully in verifying these statements,” Malaya said. “[She] is a criminal mastermind, and the information he’s providing may be aimed at creating more media attention to avoid extradition. This tactic could also help him claim political asylum in Thailand.”
While the MSS is known to conduct intelligence operations in the Philippines, the claims involving Gou as an agent have not been validated.
“If she were truly an MSS spy, she would have been extracted by China as soon as her name surfaced,” Malaya said. “Intelligence agencies typically move quickly to protect assets when exposed, making the allegations appear inconsistent with established spycraft practices.”
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