MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has warned the public against false narratives being spread by China to sow discord among Filipinos, including its “unverifiable” recording of a phone conversation between a ranking Philippine military officer and a Chinese diplomat purportedly on an agreement on a “new model” for managing the situation in Ayungin Shoal.
In the alleged phone conversation, a voice – supposedly of Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos – could be heard expressing his approval of the new model to the one on the other line, reportedly a ranking diplomat in the Chinese embassy.
The BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded on Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal for more than three decades, serving as an outpost for a small contingent of Filipino soldiers.
Beijing is claiming it has a gentleman’s agreement with Manila to allow only deliveries of food and other provisions to Sierra Madre and not construction materials.
In a statement, the DFA said it is cautioning the public “against falling for false narratives” from China.
“Resorting to tactics such as releasing unverifiable recordings of supposed conversations with Philippine officials could demonstrate efforts to sow discord and confusion among Philippine agencies and the Filipino public,” it said.
The DFA said diplomats should strictly adhere to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, particularly Article 41 which states that “…it is the duty of all persons to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State.”
“They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State,” the DFA said.
On Tuesday, the DFA made it clear that no Cabinet-level official had approved any Chinese proposal.
The department emphasized that only the Philippine president can approve or authorize agreements entered into by the government with other parties on matters pertaining to the West Philippine Sea.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. dismissed the recorded phone conversation between Carlos and a Chinese diplomat as a product of deep fakes.
“China’s claim of an audio recording allegedly between Vice Admiral Carlos and a Chinese diplomat does not merit significant concern as it appears to be a malign influence effort from the Chinese Communist Party,” Brawner said.
“Transcripts can easily be fabricated, and audio recordings can be manufactured by using deep fakes. These reports only aims to serve as a distraction from the China Coast Guard’s ongoing aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea,” Brawner stressed. He said the AFP would never dignify the claim of the Chinese embassy.
He also advised the media “to handle such reports with care and to avoid spreading unverified information that could further escalate tensions or mislead public opinion.”
Carlos, who is on leave for personal reasons, has not yet issued a statement on the embassy’s allegations.
‘Marites warfare’
Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad taunted China for engaging in “Marites (gossip) warfare.”
“All the false claims of China are designed to sow discord among us Filipinos and should be taken with a grain of salt,” Trinidad said.
“This is all part of their Cognitive Warfare to shape public perception in their favor,” he added, noting that China’s claims of a gentleman’s agreement and allegations of a “new model” deal are rehashed arguments unmasked as lies by the Philippine government. “I call this Marites (or gossip) warfare. Those statements are better left alone,” Trinidad said.
Other government offices like the Department of National Defense and the National Security Council have been cautioning the public against falling into Beijing’s narrative.
The Department of National Defense, AFP, National Security Council and DFA had long been cautioning the public against China’s spreading of lies to sow discord among Filipinos and justify its illegal actions in Philippine waters.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) yesterday issued another alert for rocket debris after China’s latest rocket launch.
PhilSA confirmed yesterday China’s launch of its Long March 3B/E rocket from its Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan at around 9:50 a.m. (Philippine time).
“Expected debris from the rocket launch was projected to have fallen within the identified drop zones approximately 28 NM (nautical miles) away from Rozul Reef and 38 NM away from Patag Island (which is among the Spratly islands west of Palawan in the West Philippine Sea),” PhilSA said in its advisory.
“There is also a possibility for the debris to float around the area and wash toward nearby coasts. Additionally, the possibility of an uncontrolled re-entry to the atmosphere of the rocket’s upper stages returning from outer space cannot be ruled out at this time,” PhilSA said.
PhilSA also cautioned the public against retrieving or coming in close contact with rocket fragments as they may contain remnants of toxic substances such as rocket fuel. - Rainier Allan Ronda