President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will investigate the alleged wiretapping by a Chinese Embassy diplomat against an AFP official but expressed skepticism due to the absence of the audio recording.
The President said it is too early to draw conclusions, especially since he hasn’t personally heard the alleged recording.
His statement was made on the sidelines of the alliance signing between the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in Makati City on Saturday when he was asked if he had any directives regarding the wiretapping activities of Chinese Embassy diplomats in Manila.
“We are looking into it because the fact of the matter is, there have been mentions of a tape that confirms that there was this agreement,” President Marcos said.
“It’s in the possession of the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese government. So, until they release it, it’s harder to believe and to accept that there was an agreement,” he added.
Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, who was recently relieved of his duties as commander of the Western Command (Wescom) in Palawan, is implicated in the issue. According to claims, he is allegedly connected to a discussion with an unidentified Chinese diplomat concerning a “new model” for overseeing the Ayungin Shoal resupply mission.
While there is no available audio recording, the written account of the conversation has been distributed.
The proposal from the Philippines suggests a 1+1 vessel configuration for the resupply operation. This means that one Philippine Coast Guard vessel and one civilian boat, named Unaizah May 1, will be involved. The mission will only bring food and no building supplies. China will be informed about the mission two days in advance.
President Marcos also noted about cybersecurity, stating the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) are working together to make it “more robust and secure.”
According to him, they are already making preparations to hire some specialists to work for the government agencies as free agents. These individuals would be tasked with the responsibility of enhancing the cybersecurity of the nation.
The best people in the field of cybersecurity, he said, are actually Filipinos.
“There have been so many departments and agencies that have been victimized and I think we are all very aware of the risks of cybersecurity. We are very conscious of that,” he said.
