Erstwhile Deputy National Security Adviser Rommel Banlaoi vehemently denied he is a spy for China, an accusation made by alleged employees of the National Security Council (NSC) that prompted him to quit his post.
“Nakakalungkot mga accusations na naging espiya ako,” Banlaoi said during regular online session of Pandesal Forum in Quezon City. “Nagkaroon ng tremendous impact sa aking appointment,” he lamented.
Banlaoi, who has built his career as a member of academe specializing in international relations and security, said friends who used to be supportive of him suddenly became distant when news about his alleged espionage activities were published.
National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos earlier named Banlaoi as one of her deputies.
But an unsigned letter to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. allegedly from NSC employees branded Banlaoi as a “security risk” and “very popular in the intelligence community as a seller of intelligence information.”
The letter attached a memo from former Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff instructing AFP units to “exercise extreme caution when engaging” with Banlaoi.
Gazmin, the defense chief during the term of the late former president Benigno Simeon Aquino 3rd, added that Banlaoi has been “misrepresenting” the DND as one of the agency’s consultants.
“Information from the Department of Foreign Affairs also indicates that the said person has been making presentations about the South China Sea in international conferences using the AFP’s reconnaissance photos of the area,” the alleged Gazmin memo read.
The BusinessMirror could neither independently confirm the veracity of the memo nor if the unsigned letter indeed came from NSC employees.
Banlaoi was former president of Philippine Association for Chinese Studies, which, he said, is funded by Filipinos and some members of the Filipino-Chinese community. Former presidents include former Ambassador Jose “Chito” Sta. Romana and Teresita Ang-See.
Banlaoi said the espionage rumors started when he studied in China.
Ironically, when he took up his doctoral degree at Jinan University in Guangzhou, China, he was also seen as being a spy for the CIA because he is from the Philippines, a defense ally of the US.
“I struggled to finish kasi nakita ko ang future eh. We need to deal with China. We lack China experts in the Philippines. We only know China from the basis of what the Americans, the Europeans tell us…. Kung alam nyo lang ang pinagdaanan ko sa China. Akusahan kang pro-US, pro-CIA,” Banlaoi recalled.
He said being accused of espionage as part of his work as researcher on countries, like China, or groups is part of the game. When he researched about Abu Sayyaf, the New People’s Army, the peace process between the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, he was likewise linked to these rebel groups.
Banlaoi said he tried asking NSC employees if they don’t really want him at the spy agency, he is willing to give way to whomever they are pleased to work with. He said nobody claimed responsibility for the letter.
“Kahit nasaktan ako sa nangyari, di ako nagtanim ng sama ng loob. Kasi kung nagtanim ako ng sama ng loob, aanihin natin yan,” he added.
He said he quit the position offered her by her mentor, Carlos, and “gave way” to a former military officer. Recently, President Marcos appointed former Marine Commandant Maj. Gen. Nestor Herico who retired last July.
“It’s think it’s for the better. It can facilitate the work of the NSA. Because if there are two of us who are civilians—then, there will be no balance between civilian and military. The NSA as a civilian and the deputy NSA as a military will provide the NSA the necessary support from the military sector. Unlike me, I cannot provide military support, I can only provide better ideas,” Banlaoi said.