This was the immediate reaction of Malacañang to the red banners tagging the Philippines as a province of China which were seen hanging from some footbridges in Metro Manila yesterday.

“It’s absurd. I’m sure it’s the enemies of the government that’s behind them. So, to them, try again. You need a better gimmick than that,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said at a press briefing.

The tarpaulins that went viral displayed the words “Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China,” which was a reference to an earlier joke by President Duterte in one of his speeches. The message was written in both English and Mandarin.

The proliferation of the red banners came out following the second anniversary of the country’s victory over China in an international arbitration court on the disputed territories.

Roque reiterated the Philippines continues to assert its sovereign rights in its territories on the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea.

“We assure the public on the second anniversary that we will continue to assert what is ours while we move on with our bilateral relations with China,” Roque said, adding that issues on sovereignty on the disputed areas in West Philippine Sea will take many years to resolve because they were not a subject to the arbitral ruling.

Whoever are the brains behind them are out to provoke the government into reacting to such claims, he said.

“They are obviously propagating a lie that we have given up on our national territory. It’s farthest from the truth,” Roque said.

While Malacañang will continue to allow those who would want to exercise their right to free expression, Roque said such claims do not have any factual basis at all.

The Palace official also lashed back at former Department of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario’s assertions that the government continues to be a willing victim of China and abettor to Beijing due to the administration’s alleged refusal to enforce The Hague ruling.

“Number one, that is his view. Number two, I don’t know what makes him an authority to give that view. Number three, I’m not sure what they mean by enforcing an arbitral decision, because an arbitral decision is binding on parties thereto,” Roque said.

It clearly underscores the fact that some individuals, including the former DFA chief, do not fully comprehend the nature of arbitration, he said.

“(Why?) Because he is calling for enforcement when arbitration is clearly binding on the parties thereto. Whether or not China will acknowledge it, China is bound by it because that’s the nature of arbitration,” Roque said.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the local government of Quezon City immediately took the banners down yesterday.