China denies recruiting ‘sleeper cell’ military members in the Philippines

The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Wednesday strongly denied Philippine military reports that Beijing has been recruiting Filipino military personnel as consultants and planting operatives in “sleeper cells” throughout the country.

Beijing’s reaction followed a directive by the Department of National Defence to probe the reported online recruitment of Filipino military personnel as “part-time consultants”.

The website used for the recruitment effort was traced to China, according to local Philippine media Inquirer.

“We are still checking this,” Brawner told reporters.

The “sleeper cell” allegations also intensified after a Philippine senator on Sunday questioned the Philippine Retirement Authority on its issuance of special resident retiree visas to Chinese nationals of “soldier’s age”.

Some 78,000 foreign retirees hold special resident visas in the Philippines, with Chinese nationals accounting for 30,000 of these, government data showed.

But the Philippine military’s findings constituted a serious allegation that needs to be examined further, said political analyst Sherwin Ona, an associate professor at De La Salle University in the Philippines.

“It can definitely affect the confidentiality of operations, thus posing a significant threat to national security,” Ona told This Week in Asia.

“It can also undermine the credibility of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with its allies, considering that the Philippines is now part of regional alliances aimed at countering Beijing’s expansion,” he added.

Ona also urged a probe into whether the alleged recruitment had taken place during Duterte’s time in office.

On Wednesday, military spokeswoman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said the site allegedly used by China to recruit people