Gibo: Filipinos will know those defending China’s false narratives

MANILA, Philippines — Those defending China and advancing Beijing’s false narratives for the sake of convenience will be made known to the Filipino people, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said yesterday.

Teodoro said there’s no stopping the public from learning the truth.

“The truth will prevail and (some people’s) credibility will suffer,” he said over True FM, adding China’s good faith and sincerity are put to test by Filipino public opinion due to a transparency initiative.

China defenders, he said, should choose to side with the truth and uphold the arbitral award.

He said it all boils down to the nine-dash line which the Arbitral Award rendered void and with no legal effect.

“If you’re advancing a false narrative for the sake of convenience, the people will know and there will be an accounting someday… I mean, this is a free world. It is an open society so the truth will prevail,” he added.

He labeled as falsehood the statements of the Chinese embassy in Manila and its social media posts.

“That’s unprecedented. We actually are responsible in our messaging. They’re the ones who’ve lowered their level and that is worrisome,” he said.

In managing the situation, the secretary emphasized there is no substitute for the truth. “Let’s stick to the truth, the facts on the ground,” he said.

Teodoro said the Philippines has always been careful in managing differences with China, and expects the same kind of responsibility from Beijing.

He slammed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s statement that the bilateral relationship was facing “malicious interference” by certain Filipino politicians, describing it as “a threat of censorship.”

New arbitration  vs China

Political coalition 1Sambayan is urging the Philippine government to pursue a new round of arbitration against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

Citing the 2016 arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines and undid China’s nine-dash line, 1Sambayan said the Philippines can file a case to defend the extended continental shelf west of Palawan, Bajo de Masinloc and Ayungin Shoal.

“What this country should seek from the present contest is not a quieter week at sea but a definitive resolution grounded in law – and such a resolution can come from an UNCLOS arbitral tribunal,” the coalition said on Wednesday.

The convention, 1Sambayan said, would better determine the overlapping claims of China, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia in the extended continental shelf in Palawan, rather than any state that has placed the most hulls in the area.

The coalition also demanded that China be held accountable for the damages suffered by Filipino fisherfolk as a result of its efforts to drive them away from their traditional fishing grounds.

It also offered a different legal approach in addressing the continuing standoff at Ayungin Shoal through the installation of a Coast Guard sub-station to enhance maritime law enforcement.

The coalition underscored that arbitration is among the peaceful means every UN member-state can apply to settle disputes.

“This is not an alternative to standing our ground. It is how a country of our size stands it,” said 1Sambayan. “The law is how we keep it.” — Andrew Ronquillo