March 4, 2025
MANILA – The Palace will look into allegations that Chinese spies donated motorcycles to the Philippine National Police (PNP), Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Monday.
However, she noted that accepting donations is not inherently wrong if done in good faith.
“As of now we will study that. If this was a donation in good faith, we really need to know because receiving a donation is not a bad thing,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino during a Palace briefing.
READ: Alleged China spies gave PH city, cops cash, motorbikes
“So, if this was given with an ulterior motive, we need to investigate it. We should also identify the local government officials who received it to ensure that this does not happen again, especially if they were being used without their knowledge,” she also said.
An exclusive Reuters report dated February 28 said that Wang Yongyi, Wu Junren, Cai Shaohuang, and Chen Haitao made donations to Tarlac City and the police force through Chinese-backed groups in 2022.
The report stated that Wang, Wu, and Cai donated 10 Chinese-made motorcycles worth around $2,500 or P144,800 each to the Manila police.
READ: Marcos ‘very disturbed’ by presence of alleged Chinese spies in Palawan
It also noted that Wang was seen in a Shandong ACFROC social media post in July 2022, handing over a P500,000 check labeled as a “poverty alleviation bursary” to the mayor of Tarlac.
PNP-Crime Investigation and Detection Group chief Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III confirmed that an investigation has already been launched.
“I believe that the PNP chief has already ordered an inquiry on that matter to determine the root cause and exact circumstances of the donations,” Torre said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.