Seeing China reds under the beds in the Philippines

MANILA – As tensions swirl and twirl over territories at sea, Philippine authorities are shifting their gaze to perceived Chinese influence operations aimed at penetrating and surveilling crucial installments and facilities on Philippine soil.

Legislators from northern Philippine provinces have recently raised alarm bells over the sudden large influx of Chinese students into Cagayan, which has been ruled by an openly pro-Beijing governor in recent years.

Meanwhile, the curious case of Alice Guo, a newly-elected mayor in a small town close to the Clark Air Base and other vital military facilities, has triggered official fears of possible Chinese “sleeper cell” agents lodged at or near various strategic locations across the country.

Adding to the paranoia and fear, top Philippine authorities are now openly advocating for the expulsion of Chinese diplomats allegedly involved in influence operations on Philippine soil, which have reportedly targeted no less than a top Philippine admiral.

The upshot is an alarming and rapid deterioration in bilateral diplomatic relations just as the two sides sleepwalk toward a potential armed conflict in the South China Sea, a clash that could quickly draw the US and its allies into the fray.

Concerns over China’s influence operations in the Philippines were first raised when Chinese online gaming sites, officially known as Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs), mushroomed near strategic facilities across Metro-Manila under the pro-Beijing Rodrigo Duterte presidency.

As many 130,000 Chinese workers and online casino operators clustered around various vital Philippine bases, including Camp Aguinaldo, which hosts the Philippine Army and the National Defense Department’s offices, the