Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday refuted China’s vast claims over the West Philippine Sea and its use of propaganda to justify its harassment of Filipinos within the country’s territorial waters.

“The propaganda mechanisms of the PRC once again attempt to justify their illegal acts against Philippine vessels on their so-called ‘indisputable’ claim over most of the South China Sea,” Teodoro said in a statement.

He lamented China’s aggressive actions in the WPS as “patently illegal and downright uncivilized.”

“They take great pains to mischaracterize their provocations as lawful under international law and the actions of their CCG and Maritime Militia as professional, restrained, reasonable and lawful. This claim is, simply put, one that no right-thinking State in the world agrees with and which many outright condemn,” he said.

Teodoro criticized China’s “vain attempt to manufacture and sell this story falters in the face of real incontrovertible facts.”

He said, “We urge the People’s Republic of China to be truthful and believable.”

Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday urged China to stop what he described as “provocative activities” in the West Philippine Sea.

“We demand that the Chinese government stop all these violent activities and all these provocative activities in Ayungin Shoal and the WPS,” Zubiri told reporters.