3 Pinoy, inaresto sa China dahil sa umano pag-eespiya sa kanilang military

- Chinese state media aired footage of three Filipinos allegedly confessing to spying for the Philippine intelligence agency

- ABS-CBN reported that Manila asserts the individuals are civilians and suspects the arrests are retaliation for its crackdown on Chinese spies

- NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya questioned the validity of the confessions, saying the agencies mentioned don’t exist

- Palawan officials said the accused were former government scholars under a China-Philippines educational exchange

Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV has aired footage of three Filipinos who were reportedly apprehended for allegedly collaborating with Philippine intelligence to collect sensitive data about China's military, ABS-CBN reported.

The televised report showed the individuals in police custody, appearing to answer questions during an interrogation.

Chinese media claimed the three admitted to the accusations.

Manila, however, voiced serious concern over the arrests, describing the detained as regular civilians.

Officials suspect the move may be retaliatory, following recent actions by Philippine authorities against suspected Chinese operatives.

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According to the Philippine National Security Council (NSC), the trio previously benefited from a scholarship program initiated through a partnership between Hainan, China, and Palawan, Philippines.

NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya questioned the credibility of the confessions aired in the footage.

“There was also mention of a ‘Philippine Intelligence Agency’ or ‘Philippine Spy Intelligence Services’ which is a non-existing government agency. The ‘confessions’ appear to be scripted, strongly suggesting that they were not made freely,” he said.

He further noted, “Given the limited information released by Chinese media, the arrests can be seen as a retaliation for the series of legitimate arrests of Chinese agents and accomplices by Philippine law enforcement and counter-intelligence agencies in recent months.”

In Palawan, local board member Ryan Maminta defended the detainees, describing them as former scholars of Hainan Normal University. “They only wanted to help their family and learn abroad,” he stated.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is extending legal assistance to the three individuals.

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News, photos or videos that arouse the interest of netizens would often go viral on social media, due to the attention netizens give them. These viral posts appeal to the emotions of netizens, and in rare cases, such could also happen to ordinary people, making them very relatable to just about simply everyone around.

Still in Negros Occidental, a 53-year-old woman died and two others were injured after being hit by a pickup truck while jogging in Barangay Tangub, Bacolod City. The incident occurred when the group of women briefly stopped their jog to take photographs, leading to the collision with the vehicle. The pickup truck driver, Fernando Oquina, stated that he did not see the women on the road prior to the collision.

Meanwhile in other news, a barangay chairman in Sta. Maria, Pangasinan died after he was shot but a still unknown gunman. According to the report of Balitanghali of GMA Integrated News, the victim was driving a tricycle. A man at the roadside then signaled for him to stop, and when he did, he was shot by the perpetrator. The gunman immediately fled the scene, but authorities already have a person of interest.

Source: KAMI.com.gh