Youth officials call to uphold due process for 3 Filipinos detained in China

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MANILA, Philippines — The Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation of Palawan has urged the national government to exhaust all diplomatic means to ensure the safety and right to due process of the three Filipinos arrested in China on espionage charges.

“We call upon our national government, especially the Department of Foreign Affairs, to act with urgency. Let us secure access to our kababayans, check on their condition, and uphold their rights,” it said in a statement on Saturday, April 5. 

Appalled by the arrest, the Palawan provincial youth council said the Filipinos were former government scholars from the province.

“These students, who once stood as scholars of the provincial government and ambassadors of goodwill, now find themselves behind foreign walls, accused of espionage and judged not in open courts but in the pages of state-run media,” it said.

The National Security Council (NSC) also said Saturday that the arrested Filipinos were former recipients of the Hainan Government Scholarship Program. They had no military training and were even vetted by the Chinese government before their arrival, it added.  

For the NSC, the confession videos appear to be manipulated and possibly fabricated, fueling concerns that the arrests were retaliatory in nature after six Chinese nationals were detained the week before for alleged spying on ship movements in Subic Bay.

RELATED: Manila says arrest of Filipinos in China a retaliation for espionage cases

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed the arrest and espionage charges on April 4. 

The Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation of Palawan stressed that the province’s Filipino youth pursue overseas opportunities with hope, not malice, and believe in the “promise of international education.” 

“They bring with them the aspirations of a province long committed to peace, exchange and mutual respect,” it added. 

The council said it is unjust to label these youths as threats when there is a lack of “due process and verified evidence” to support claims that the three were spies.

“We do not speak with anger, but we cannot remain silent. The right to be presumed innocent belongs to every person. It applies across borders and systems.” it said. 

The National Youth Commission also denounced the arrest, saying the Filipinos were “named and shamed in state-controlled media, with no clear legal proceedings or access to proper representation.” 

“To use state-controlled media to parade young Filipinos as alleged spies is not only irresponsible — it is cruel and inhumane,” NYC Commissioner-at-Large Assistant Secretary Karl Legazpi said in a statement on April 4. 

“These are not criminals; they are youth who pursued international opportunities to grow, learn, and serve their homeland,” he added. 

Legazpi said the arrest should also lead to serious reflection on the protection of Filipinos overseas, particularly in countries affected by geopolitical strains.

The DFA said the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou is extending legal and consular assistance to the three Filipinos.