MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his government is investigating the alleged wiretapping of a ranking Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) official by the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
“We are looking into it because the fact of the matter is, there have been mentions of a tape that confirms that there was this agreement,” Marcos said.
Related Stories
The president said it is still early to draw any conclusions until he hears the recording of the alleged wiretapping.
“It’s in the possession of the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese government. So, until they release it, it’s harder to believe and to accept that there was an agreement,” he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice said last week they were looking into alleged illegal activities by foreign diplomats following calls to probe China’s possible violations of the Anti-Wire Tapping Act and diplomatic protocols.
This was after the Chinese Embassy in Manila released to select media recording and transcript of an unverified phone call between a Chinese diplomat and Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, former commander of the military’s Western Command, on the so-called “new model” arrangement on the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines previously said that Beijing’s claim of an audio recording allegedly between Carlos and a Chinese diplomat “does not merit significant concern as it appears to be a malign influence effort from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
The Philippines has maintained it has not made any agreements with China concerning the Ayungin Shoal and stressed that only President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can authorize deals on matters related to the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. — Gaea Katreena Cabico