Philippines Defense Secretary Calls for Shift of Gaming Centers

(Bloomberg) -- Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has called for online gaming operations that carry out activities close to military camps to be relocated on security concerns.

Lorenzana said he was worried that Chinese employees working in these online casinos could be tapped for intelligence gathering by their home country. The government estimates that most of the about 138,000 employees of online casinos are Chinese and the businesses cater mainly to people from China.

“Knowing that Chinese companies are mandated by the Chinese government to assist in intel collection for their government, it is not far-fetched that individuals, likewise, could be compelled to do so,” Lorenzana said in a statement on Sunday.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said China’s ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua had sent him a message saying that if Chinese workers in the Philippines are accused of being spies, the same can be said of Filipino workers in China.

Lorenzana said the diplomat’s statement was “preposterous” and the two situations weren’t comparable. The gaming centers are very near military camps and naval bases, he said, adding that he believes that the Chinese workers are here as workers, not spies. Leechiu Property Consultants estimated in July that the sector employs about 345,000 people.

“What I am alarmed about is the potential that they could be tapped for info gathering purposes,” the defense chief added. “That is why I support the relocation of the centers to economic zones that are not proximate to military camps.”

Read: China Tells Philippines to Crack Down on Casinos Hiring Chinese

--With assistance from Andreo Calonzo.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ditas Lopez in Manila at dlopez55@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Stanley James

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