Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Tuesday dismissed China's claim that it drove away a Philippine Navy ship from Scarborough Shoal.
"It came from Beijing, right? Then that's Chinese propaganda. It's not true," Brawner told reporters, reacting to the claim made by China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu.
Yu again accused the Philippines of "intruding" into the waters adjacent to Huangyan Island — the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal.
Brawner revealed that a Philippine Navy ship was conducting a maritime patrol in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, located 124 nautical miles west of Zambales.
The Philippine vessel continued patrolling the area, contrary to China's claim, Brawner averred. The shoal is within the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
"We will not allow ourselves to be driven away from our exclusive economic zone. It is our duty, it is our right to make sure that our fishermen can fish in our economic zone," Brawner said.
"That's part of our maritime patrol in the West Philippine Sea. That's not true that our Navy was driven away. Our stand remains that it's Chinese propaganda," he added.
Brawner said that what the China Coast Guard did was to "challenge" the Philippine Navy ship "from afar," contrary to Yu's claim that it was pressured to go away.
Image-building
"This was just to show that they are working on the ground because they are concerned about their internal audience and their leadership. They are just building a good image," Brawner said.
On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also claimed that Ayungin Shoal was part of its territory in the South China Sea.
"China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao and the adjacent waters, including Ren'ai Jiao. This was developed and established throughout the long course of history and is consistent with international law including the UN Charter," the ministry said.
China calls Ayungin Shoal Ren'ai Jiao and the Spratly Islands Nansha Qundao.
"The Philippines has no legal basis at all to claim sovereignty over Ren'ai Jiao on the grounds of its comparative proximity to Philippine territory," it added.
Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
China warned that the "responsibility for the current situation at sea completely lies with the Philippines."
"For some time, the Philippines, ignoring China's goodwill and sincerity, has kept sending official vessels and warships to forcibly intrude into the adjacent waters of Ren'ai Jiao in an attempt to send construction materials for repairing and reinforcing the grounded military vessel on a large scale in order to permanently occupy Ren'ai Jiao," it said.
Null and void
"These actions seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, contravened international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and disrupted peace and stability in the region," it added.
China reiterated its position against the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea, which invalidated its expansive claims in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.
"The so-called South China Sea arbitration award is illegal, null and void," it said. "The arbitration initiated by the Philippines directly concerns the issues of territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation."
In July 2016, the Philippines won the arbitral case it lodged against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
WITH JOM GARNER
