The Philippine government announced that it will conduct an investigation into the alleged donations made by Chinese nationals to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and some local government units (LGUs).
According to the words of the deputy head of the Presidential Communications Office and press secretary of the palace, Klar Castro, they are investigating whether the donations were made 'altruistically.' 'At this moment, we are studying this. If the donations were made altruistically, we really need to know because there is nothing wrong with accepting donations,' Castro said at a press conference in Malacanang.
Castro pointed out that the acceptance of donations itself is not inherently wrong if they are offered altruistically, citing as an example cases where several regions received donations from China during the pandemic, including masks and vehicles. She also noted that it is necessary to ascertain whether the loans can be used without exploiting the original motives of the donations for ulterior motives.
Recently, Chinese nationals Wan Yonggi, Wu Cizun, Cai Shaohuan, and Zhien Haitao were arrested in late January on charges of collecting images and maps of the military-maritime forces of the Philippines on the shores of the West Philippine Sea (WPS), allegedly making donations with available and transport means in favor of the PNP and LGU through affiliations with the Chinese Communist Party group.
