00:00Raising serious concerns over potential surveillance activities near a key democratic institution,
00:06the National Bureau of Investigation, or the NBI, arrested a Chinese national and confiscated spy devices
00:13from his vehicle parked just outside the Commission on Elections, or COMELEC, main office in Manila
00:19over alleged violations of the espionage law.
00:23PTV's Luisa Irispe has the story.
00:26I'm placing you under arrest for violations of the espionage law, the Data Privacy Act, in relation to our cyber threat law.
00:44A suspected Chinese spy was snapped by the National Bureau of Investigation in front of the Office of the Commission on Elections today.
00:51Inside his SUV was a device called an IMSI catcher, which collects texts, calls, and other digital information within a range of 500 meters to 3 kilometers.
01:05That's why the NBI immediately arrested a spy once the news reached the main office of the COMELEC.
01:11Meron siyang gadget na tinatawag natin, IMSI catcher.
01:14Kaya nitong higupin sa distansya na 500 meters to 3 kilometers, lahat ng aktibong mobile gadget na gumagana.
01:26And as we speak, nahihigup nito ngayon yung ating messaging, yung ating content.
01:32But aside from the alleged espionage, the NBI is also worried the device might have captured election data from the COMELEC,
01:41considering local absentee voting is ongoing and there are at least two weeks before the date of the election.
01:47Naalarma na kami dahil nandito na nga sa ganitong pasilidad.
01:51They're obtaining critical information, sensitive information, patungkol sa trabaho ng ating opisina na sasakupan nito ngayon.
02:00Ang location niya dito ngayon ay maraming government offices.
02:06Hindi natin sigurado kung ano na nakuha niyang information, but we are subjecting this to cyber forensic examination.
02:15But the Chinese national denied the allegations and said he is not even the owner of the vehicle
02:20and that he has been staying in the Philippines for about five days as a tourist.
02:26What is this device for, sir?
02:30How long have you been in the Philippines?
02:35We have been in the Philippines, okay, Lloyd?
02:37Five days.
02:38The Chinese national will face charges of violations of espionage law, Data Privacy Act, and cybercrime law.
02:46He will remain in the custody of the NBI.
02:48Meanwhile, according to COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia,
02:51He believes they haven't monitored any kind of data breached within their network yet.
02:57Moreover, there is no election data stored inside the main office.
