MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Wednesday that the recent arrest of a Chinese national near the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Manila is linked to what officials describe as a "covert and highly compartmentalized espionage network" operating within the country.

According to NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin, the suspect was found in possession of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catcher—raising alarms across the intelligence community.

“Naniniwala kami na ito ay pinapakilos ng isang malaking grupo. However, this is highly compartmentalized,” Lavin said.

“As we see it now, medyo hindi magkakakilala. ‘Yung pumalit, ‘yung nakaalis last Saturday, hindi niya kilala by name but the equipment was turned over. And the equipment is in operation until the time na kinuha namin ito,” he added.

Investigators noted that the second person seemed unaware of the identity of the first, reinforcing suspicions that the operation is structured to minimize exposure among its members.

“This is very alarming. Dahil mukhang, from the looks of it, mayroong nagpapakilos, may nagpapagalaw,” Lavin said.

NBI also reported that the vehicle carrying the surveillance equipment passed through or near several high-security government locations, including Villamor Air Base, the U.S. Embassy, the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Comelec main office in Intramuros.

The arrested Chinese national was inquested on Wednesday, and the recovered IMSI catcher has been submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory for examination.

NBI: Alleged Chinese spy may be intercepting data to and from Comelec office

Authorities aim to determine the extent of information collected, the scope of the surveillance, and any potential compromise to national security.

“Kung gaano katindi, ano ‘yung mga nakuhang datos, paano maaaring mamanipula itong mga datos” Lavin said.

While the Comelec has stated that there is no evidence of data breaches or tampering, the NBI is not ruling out the possibility of foreign interference, particularly with the upcoming midterm elections.

“We cannot speculate but that's a possibility. And the last few days, there was a very serious apprehension by our intelligence community that parang nakikita nilang may foreign interference.”

The investigation is ongoing, and the NBI has committed to working closely with other security and intelligence agencies to uncover the full extent of the operation.

Meanwhile, DOJ Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla also said the alleged Chinese spy may face violation of immigration laws which are non-bailable.

The alleged spy underwent inquest proceedings at the DOJ for violations of the Espionage Act of 1941, as well as Republic Act No. 10155 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

“Kung foreigner kasi, syempre may violation ng immigration law, then it becomes a non-bailable case,” Remulla said.

“Pag-foreigner, siyempre, ang bail niya wala sa court, nasa immigration department,” Remulla added. -- With reports from Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News