A Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation. Photo: Asia Times/casino.org enator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson believes there could be up to three thousand Chinese soldiers in Philippines. A March 5, 2020 article by Paolo Romero in The Philippine Star notes that “Some 3,000 members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) may have entered the country as tourists or as workers in Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).” The article went on to point out that “Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the committee on national defense and security, said he received information from a source that 2,000 to 3,000 PLA personnel are now in the country on “immersion missions” and for other still unknown purposes.” Lacson made a point to stress that “the report has yet to be validated even as he described his source as fairly reliable.” Catalina Ricci S. Madarang of Interaksyon.com, noted in a subsequent article that “The Armed Forces of the Philippines, for its part, assured that it will immediately validate this information and considered this a serious concern.” Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., AFP chief of staff stated that “I [will] have my staff for intelligence confirm said reports in coordination with other relevant agencies of government.” As we noted in a previous editorial, It should come as no surprise if Lacson’s information turned out to be accurate. In 2005 Chen Yonglin a former Chinese diplomat assigned to the Chinese consulate in Sydney, Australia defected along with his wife and daughter. He then revealed that “the Chinese government had more than a thousand agents in Australia, and that they were responsible for monitoring and kidnapping Chinese nationals back to China.” According to Wikipedia. Given that the above event happened 15 years ago, and given that the government of then Prime Minister John Howard was nowhere near as acquiescent towards China as the Duterte Administration appears to be, It is highly possible that there are that many Chinese spies in our midst today. In addition, in the intervening years, China has made great strides in their conventional and unconventional warfare capabilities. Their illegal military installations in the Spratly islands—a stones throw from major Philippine cities, as well as their robust cyber, and artificial intelligence capabilities appears to have cowered the Duterte administration into remaining silent and looking the other way. It will be up to patriotic Filipinos to stand up and protect their country. Like Australia, Philippine legislators must start enacting laws that will stop countries like China from overwhelming our country from within. We must stand resolute against creeping Chinese interference. The Philippines is not now, nor should it ever become a province of China. Published 3/7/2020