Photo credit: Senate PH

Senator Francis Tolentino announced in a press conference that a Senate hearing will be conducted on Tuesday to investigate allegations of wiretapping by the Chinese Embassy.

The hearing, chaired by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, will involve key government agencies including the Department of National Defense (DND), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and representatives from the Chinese Embassy, if they agree to attend voluntarily.

Senator Tolentino emphasized the seriousness of the allegations, describing the situation as a "serious breach of existing international law" and a violation of Republic Act 4200, the Anti-Wiretapping Law. He highlighted the need for a thorough investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

"We have precedence," Tolentino noted, referencing past incidents involving foreign embassies: the Chinese Embassy's hacking of the Australian Parliament in 2020, the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the U.S. in 2018 following the poisoning of Sergey Skripal, and the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the UK in 2018.

Senator Tolentino outlined possible consequences if the allegations are confirmed, including declaring involved individuals persona non grata, which would require them to leave the country. Additionally, the DFA might call for a reduction in the size of the Chinese Embassy staff. Other measures could include filing a diplomatic protest and expelling non-diplomatic staff, such as administrative and technical personnel, by not renewing their visas.

"Kung ano man yung kalalabasan nitong imbestigasyon, the content would be extraneous to the investigation. Ang gusto lamang patunayan dito ay kung nagkaroon ba talaga ng wire-tapping," Tolentino said. (Whatever the outcome of this investigation, the focus is to determine if wiretapping indeed occurred.)