MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said that no cabinet official had approved a Chinese proposal concerning the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
The DFA stressed that only President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can authorize agreements entered into by the Philippines on matters pertaining to the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea.
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“In this respect, the DFA can confirm that no cabinet-level official of the Marcos administration has agreed to any Chinese proposal pertaining to the Ayungin Shoal,” the agency said.
“As far as the Philippine government is concerned, no such document, record or deal exists, as purported by the Chinese Embassy,” it added.
The DFA earlier released a statement saying it has no knowledge of the “new model” arrangement for handling territorial disputes mentioned by the Chinese Embassy.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año also denied Beijing’s claim that the Western Command (WESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines had agreed on a “new model” to address tensions at Ayungin Shoal. WESCOM oversees the West Philippine Sea.
Marcos on Monday rejected a proposal to equip Philippine vessels patrolling the West Philippine Sea with water cannons to assert the country’s sovereignty in the waters claimed by China.
“We will not follow the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the Chinese vessels down that road because it's not the mission of the Navy, our Coast Guard to start or to increase tensions. Their mission is precisely the opposite: it's to lower tensions,” Marcos said.
China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, rejecting competing claims from the Philippines and other countries, despite an international court ruling that found its assertions baseless. — Gaea Katreena Cabico