The Ang Bumbero ng Pilipinas (ABP) party list and six other groups joined forces to strongly condemn the unlawful arrest of three Filipinos who were allegedly charged with espionage in China.
ABP, 6 other groups join force to condemn arrest of 3 Pinoys in China
THE Ang Bumbero ng Pilipinas (ABP) party list together with six civic oriented groups namely Alyansa Bantay Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY), Movement People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reform (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), Isang Bansang Pilipinas (IBP) at ang Kalipunan ng Mamamayang Pilipino (KAMPIL) joined forces to strongly condemn the arrest of three Filipinos allegedly charged with espionage in China.
They called the move an a propaganda tactic to mislead the real issue of escalating dispute over the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
ABP partylist first nominee Dr. Jose Antonio “Ka Pep” Goitia who is also the Chairman Emeritus of ABKD and FDNY- Movement claimed that it was a blatant form of bullying by the Chinese government and a diversionary tactic to justify the illegal detention of the three Filipinos David Servanez, Albert Endencia and Natalie Plizardo, who were arrested in China on allegations of spying for Philippine intelligence.The trio are law -abiding Filipino citizens being screened by the Chinese government before they were accepted as recipients of Hainan government scholarship established under the sisterhood agreement between the provinces of Palawan and Hainan.
The six groups raised doubts regarding the confession of the arrested Filipinos saying that it was made under extreme pressure given the narrative released by the Chinese government.
A portion of the statement mentioned the “Philippines Intelligence Agency or Philippine Spy Intelligence Services ” which are non- existing government agencies in the country.
“They were baseless and false claims, considered manufactured and part of a well planned smear campaign following the arrest of suspected Chinese spies in recent months by Philippine law enforcement agencies, raising serious concerns that the move was a calculated act of retaliation,” Goitia claimed.
He believes it is a form of pressure to silence the Philippine government over regional issues especially in the West Philippine Sea.
Goitia supported the appeal to ensure the trio will be given due process, fair treatment and respect of their rights in accordance with the domestic law.
Furthermore the groups demanded the three Filpinos’ immediate release.
With tensions escalating, Goitia urged the Filipinos to be vigilant and uphold national dignity in the face of foreign aggression.
The six groups also came to firmly defend Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela amid the criticism from former Press Attache Ado Paglinawan, who accused Tarriela and other national security officials of being under the United States influence questioning the legitimacy of Philippine maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Goitia strongly defended Tarriela’s integrity and credibility describing him as one of the few officials willing to stand defending the Philippines sovereignty.
“Commodore Tarriela is not only a spokesperson but a true Filipino who has consistently shown courage in asserting our sovereignty” he added.
With the upcoming Tri Commitee hearing on the West Philippine Sea scheduled next week Tarriela challenged Paglinawan to attend and defend his statement in a formal setting,
Goitia assured that they will continue to extend their full support publicly and will come to the streets if the need arises.
