NTF-WPS: Ayungin proposal ‘a lie’ meant to confuse Filipinos

MANILA – The alleged new arrangement of the Philippine government with China to manage the situation in Ayungin Shoal is a lie fabricated by China to confuse the Filipinos, an official of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said Tuesday.

During a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing over PTV, NTF-WPS Spokesperson, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the Chinese embassy in the Philippines has shown a pattern of issuing lies to cover for incidents in the WPS.

“Nililito lang nila ang sambayanang Pilipino. They are actually justifying ang kanilang mga maling gawin nila dito, ang mga illegal activities nila, and their aggression in the WPS (They are trying to confuse the Filipino public. They are actually justifying their wrongs, illegal activities, and their aggression in the WPS),” he said.

He said China’s claim of a “gentleman’s agreement” in the WPS was only revealed after an incident in Ayungin Shoal, similar to how they revealed the new Ayungin proposal after an incident in the Bajo de Masincloc.

“They are justifying their action by highlighting na merong mga agreement na ganyan kaya nila nagawa (that there are agreements in place, that’s why they did that),” he said.

The goal of such misinformation, he said, is to keep the Filipino public from believing their government, particularly the NTF-WPS and President Ferdinand R. Marcos.

He called on the public to carefully evaluate statements made by the Chinese embassy and to refrain from posting China’s public statements on social media.

“Itong mga maling impormasyon na ito, mga kasinungalingan ng Chinese embassy, is eventually being amplified by the Chinese trolls (This misinformation, lies by the Chinese embassy, are eventually being amplified by Chinese trolls),” he said.

“These influencers provide and amplify the false narrative and wrong information to the Filipino people that create confusion to the Filipino public,” he said.

On Sunday, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro clarified that the Philippines is not a party to any new arrangement with China on managing the situation in Ayungin Shoal in the WPS.

He noted that any insinuation that the Department of National Defense (DND) is involved in a “new model” is a “devious machination of China through their Embassy in Manila, and it is curious that it comes right after their actions were condemned in the recent SQUAD meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.”

— Raymond Carl Dela Cruz (PNA)