China

Filipino Man Reveals Spying for China; Military Claims More Involved

Published

2 months ago

May 10, 2026

A desperate Filipino man, “Danny,” responded to a supposedly U.S. job ad, leading him into a Chinese espionage scheme. Initially providing public information, he later shared sensitive military data. After realizing the dangerous implications, he cut contact but continued under pressure.

MANILA, Philippines – Desperate for a new source of income because his business was failing, a Filipino man in his mid-20s answered an online advertisement in 2024 for what he thought was a U.S.-based publication looking for a writer focusing on Philippine defense.

The man, who identified himself by the pseudonym “Danny,” told Radio Free Asia that this is how he was initially recruited into what he and the Philippine armed forces now believe was a Chinese spying scheme.

Danny is one of three Filipino nationals who were caught for allegedly spying for China earlier this year. He is currently in the Philippine military’s custody, and they allowed him to tell his story to RFA, saying that Danny’s case is part of a growing trend of jobseekers who find themselves spying for Beijing, even unknowingly at first.

Danny has been cooperative since his detention began and his story aligns with evidence in the military’s investigation, according to a military source who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case. RFA was not able to independently confirm Danny’s testimony using non-military sources.

Easy money?

The ad that caught his eye sought a military consultant, so Danny, who already had deep business connections with the Philippine Coast Guard, posed as an active member to increase his chances of getting hired. The deception seemingly paid off, and he soon began filing reports about the coast guard for extra cash.

At first it was easy, he said. Everything they wanted was all publicly available online. But quickly, the assignments morphed into detailed inquiries on troop movements, including patrols in the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s term for the areas of the South China Sea it considers to be within its exclusive economic zone, much of which is also claimed by China.

At one point Danny got in so deep that he stole data from the mobile phone of his friend, an officer in the coast guard. The information he passed on kept his employer happy. But the requests steadily became more urgent, and his contact more demanding.

Danny spoke to RFA in a mixture of English and Tagalog in a room guarded by Philippine soldiers at an undisclosed location in Manila. He had obscured his physical features with a face covering, sunglasses and a hiking cap. He explained why he initially responded to the ad.

“I had a problem in business and was desperate to find money,” he said. “I was enticed to work for them because of my situation.”

Over the course of the interview, Danny would remove the cap and hood.

Loose lips…

Danny’s realization that what he was doing had dangerous consequences came in August 2024, when Chinese coast guard vessel 3104 collided with two Philippine coast guard ships – the BRP Bagacay and the BRP Cape Engaño – near Sabina Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands chain. Though no one was hurt, the two Philippine ships sustained heavy damage.

Prior to the incident, Danny had provided the vessels’ coordinates to his employer, and he said his report may have enabled the Chinese to intercept them.

“I was angry, I did not expect that they would ram the ships. I had friends there,” he said.

After the clash in the Spratlys, he started to suspect that his employer might not actually be a U.S.-based publisher, so he cut off all contact.

The employer sent someone who identified himself as “Peter,” whom Danny assumes was a Chinese agent assigned to preserve the asset-handler relationship.

Peter offered Danny an increase in pay to keep sending in information.

“That’s when I learned I was being used, but I still continued.” Danny said.

After meeting Peter, Danny began using an alternative method to transmit data. On his smartphone was an app that to the unsuspecting eye looked like a mobile version of the popular video game Tetris, but in actuality it was the access point for a secret website where he could upload the data he stole.

Cover blown

The military began to suspect that someone was leaking information to the Chinese after the incident in the Spratlys, according to the military source, but the source would not confirm to RFA when they learned that Danny was the culprit.