MANILA – The Department of National Defense (DND) on Monday said the Chinese Embassy's refusal to acknowledge Philippine national security concerns and calling it "political rhetoric" will not stop ongoing law enforcement operations against illegal activities being conducted by Chinese nationals in the country.
"Attempts by the Chinese Embassy to dismiss legitimate national security concerns as mere 'political rhetoric' or 'inflammatory language' do not erase the documented, ongoing Philippine law enforcement operations against illegal activities by Chinese nationals within the Philippines’ sovereign territory and jurisdiction," DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.
Andolong stressed that the DND exists to protect Philippine sovereignty, territory, and its people, which, he said, is non-negotiable.
"We have posed questions to the Chinese Embassy on these illegal activities. The Filipino people demand unequivocal answers, not evasive questions and concocted narratives that are clearly intended to mislead the general public and misdirect their attention away from the core issues at hand. We decry this apparent hypocrisy of abusing the freedom of speech in our country while there is censorship of the same in China," he said.
The DND spokesperson was referring to the series of incidents wherein Chinese nationals were arrested for engaging in the alleged manufacture of substandard steel bars that fail to meet Philippine national standards, aside from possessing hazardous radioactive materials.
A report from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group showed its personnel from Regional Field Unit 3 and teams from police units in San Simon, Pampanga arrested on March 11, 2026 11 Chinese nationals who have with them hazardous materials, including recycled lead products and equipment amounting to around PHP19.5 million. (PNA)
