The Chinese flag is pictured in front of the facade of the Chinese embassy in Berlin on April 22, 2024. John Macdougall, AFP/File

MANILA (UPDATED) — The Philippine government is providing legal support to three Filipinos arrested in China for alleged espionage, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

Ambassador Teresita Daza, DFA spokesperson, said in a statement that the department has been "formally made aware" of the allegations against the three Filipinos.

She also said protecting the rights and interests of the detained Filipinos is a "prime priority" for the government.

"The Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou is providing all necessary assistance, including appropriate legal support," Daza said.

She added the DFA has already communicated with the Chinese government "to ensure that these allegations are tried with due process and full respect to the rights of the said Filipinos in accordance with domestic law.

National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya said earlier Friday that the government wasverifying reports that China had detained the three Filipinos.

The Philippines said Friday it was verifying reports that China arrested three Filipinos suspected of engaging in spying activities. 

“Until we are able to verify these news reports coming from PRC state media, we cannot comment at this time,” he also said. 

China on Thursday said it had "destroyed" an intelligence network set up by the Philippine espionage agency and arrested three spies from the country.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it has “not received any official report from relevant authorities regarding the alleged espionage claims.” 

It said it would defer to the DFA, which “is currently verifying the situation through appropriate diplomatic channels.” 

“The AFP recognizes the significance of this matter… The AFP remains ready to support as needed,” it added.

Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Thursday that Chinese judicial authorities would handle the case involving the alleged Filipino spies “in accordance with the law”.

CHINA: ‘SPIES’ CAUSED ‘SERIOUS HARM’ 

On Thursday, state broadcaster CCTV reported that authorities had identified one of the suspected spies as a Philippine national who had lived and worked in China long-term and had been found conducting espionage near military facilities.

The CCTV report included a video of his arrest and what appeared to be a recorded confession.

He was recruited by Philippine intelligence services to "take advantage of his long-term residence in China to conduct espionage activities in China and collect sensitive information, especially on military deployment", state media said.

He came close to military facilities multiple times and "conducted close observation and secret photography", CCTV added.

The three individuals had been recruited by the same Philippine spy since 2021 and received regular payment for their work, CCTV said.

They were also tasked with "assisting the Philippine spy intelligence agency in selecting and developing personnel, and expanding its intelligence network in China".

They had provided "a large amount of military-related and confidential video materials" to Philippine agents, "causing serious harm to China's national security and interests", CCTV quoted a Chinese national security officer as saying.

The announcement comes as the two countries continue to confront each other over disputed territory in the South China Sea and tensions mount over the Philippines' security ties with ally the United States.

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At least five Chinese nationals were arrested on suspicion of espionage in January and another two in February by Philippine authorities.

And the latest arrests in China come two days after Beijing's embassy in Manila issued a travel warning to its citizens about frequent "harassment" from Philippine law enforcement agencies.

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Beijing's foreign ministry accused Manila of having "fabricated several so-called Chinese espionage cases".

"China urges the Philippines to stop chasing shadows and pinning labels on people," Guo said at a regular news briefing.