Leaked intel led to China ramming of PCG ship at Escoda Shoal, says AFP

MANILA, Philippines, March 11 ------ A Filipino national recruited into an alleged Chinese spy network passed information that led to the harassment of a Philippine vessel at Escoda Shoal, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the recruited Filipino — identified only by the call sign "Danny" — became remorseful after seeing the severe damage inflicted on the Coast Guard ship. "Based on the information he gave, it resulted in the harassment of one of the Coast Guard ships in Sabina (Escoda) Shoal," Trinidad said in mixed English and Filipino. "And the damage incurred made him remorseful when he saw that the ship had been badly damaged ... He thought that his Coast Guard friends might be injured or killed."

According to the AFP, the China intel network obtained classified information on the modernization plans of the Philippine Navy. They also found out about the Navy's "strategic basing" and West Philippine Sea operations. Among the information sought were also the identities of personnel deployed aboard BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal and other Philippine-held features in the disputed waters, Trinidad said.

The compromised individuals, Trinidad said, held lower-level positions with access limited to the lowest tier of the military's four-level classification system. "There are different uses for the information that they would like to derive... This could put the lives of our men and women at risk, especially those conducting the [rotation and resupply] missions," the Navy spokesperson said. "And we don't want this to happen."

Asked whether the espionage suggested China intended to eventually seize Sierra Madre, Trinidad said there were "no indications" of that. The AFP's insider threat program has uncovered four individuals involved in the network, Trinidad said. Three were approached and are now cooperating. They are now "under the control of the AFP," though Trinidad declined to say whether they face formal charges or are in detention. A fourth, a Philippine Navy officer, refused to cooperate. Trinidad declined to discuss whether the military has identified the spy network's handlers.

Importance of the area. Escoda Shoal became a flashpoint of tensions in the sea in 2024 after the PCG deployed BRP Teresa Magbanua to monitor alleged Chinese reclamation activities in the area. The five-month deployment ended in September 2024 after Chinese Coast Guard vessels rammed the ship three times, blocked resupply missions, and left the crew without food and water for days on end. China claims sovereignty over the feature and most of the South China Sea despite a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that invalidated Beijing's expansive maritime claims.

Source: philstar.com