China ‘recruitment’ of PH armed forces must be probed – Makabayan

China ‘recruitment’ of PH armed forces must be probed – Makabayan

MANILA, Philippines — China’s alleged recruitment of Filipino military and police personnel must be investigated, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc of the House of Representatives said.

They also said that the reported existence of Chinese sleeper cells – or secretive groups on standby to conduct “infiltration and intervention activities” – in the country must be looked into as these are considered “serious matters of national security.”

The Makabayan bloc led by House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro filed House Resolution (HR) No. 1682 and asked the House committee on national defense and safety to handle the the probe.

“Amidst the escalating aggressive actions of China in the West Philippine Sea as well as the ‘secret deal’ between former President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping, reports of supposed Chinese operations to recruit active and retired Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel have surfaced,” Castro said in a statement on Wednesday.

Last April 8, the Department of National Defense ordered the AFP to investigate a “strange” recruitment effort of “part-time military consultants” that was traced to China. Two days later, the AFP considered the online recruitment scheme a national security concern, noting that the effort could have been made to obtain data from Philippine armed forces.

“These are serious matters of national security, especially amid the intensifying Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea and the war-mongering of the United States,” states HR 1682.

“There seems to be a serious problem with the AFP itself, the mere fact that its members, whether active or retired, are being attracted and/or recruited by these foreign-based firms claiming to be affiliated with the foreign military,” it also states.

Existence of Chinese sleeper cells in the Philippines was reported last year.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila had denied it, but the Philippine National Police said these cells are being operated by foreigners, mainly Chinese and Taiwanese nationals.