MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson said recent reports on alleged foreign espionage targeting the Philippines' state secrets underscore the need for stricter penalties.
The senator on Thursday said he filed a bill to address the issue in July last year. But the measure is still pending at the Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation.
He filed Senate Bill (SB) 33 which seeks to strengthen and modernize anti-espionage laws by increasing penalties and covering new technologies.
"It was one of the first bills I filed in the 20th Congress, to update our anti-espionage law. Our current law is a Commonwealth Act dating back to 1941, whose penalties are too light," Lacson said.
"So I say we need to strengthen the law to address modern-day threats. Our world has changed, and spying is detrimental to our national security," he said in English and Filipino in a radio interview.
SB 33 seeks to mete life imprisonment without parole and fines ranging from P5 million to P20 million to those who engage and conspire to engage in espionage and interference in the country’s internal affairs – including those who aid and abet them.
Lacson said that other countries impose much harsher penalties on espionage, including execution in China.
Last week, the National Security Council confirmed that three Filipinos were detained over alleged espionage activities believed to be linked to foreign intelligence operations in the Philippines. The suspects have confessed and are cooperating with authorities, Navy Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said.
Officials also revealed that the individuals were recruited through covert channels and used digital platforms to relay information.