Puerto Princesa, PALAWAN — Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr., said the country is “united” in resolving the national security challenges in the West Philippine Sea.

“As far as we are concerned, at the operational and tactical level, we are united. The Coast Guard, the armed forces, and other government agencies are united so that we can address the concerns that we have in the WPS,” Brawner told reporters.

Brawner said he ordered the Western Command troops to practice “maximum tolerance” amid China’s heightened aggression in the WPS.

“Because we have to still follow international laws. As a country, we still follow the international rules-based order,” he said.

Despite China’s increasing aggression against Philippine troops in the WPS, Brawner said the AFP would not reciprocate.

“Even if they do that, we will still follow the laws,” he stressed.

Brawner, however, emphasized that the AFP will not be deterred from fulfilling its mandate to defend the WPS and protect the fisherfolk in the area.

Outraged journalists

Meanwhile, two journalist groups condemned China over its insinuation of “manipulation” regarding their coverage of the South China Sea.

China has accused Filipino journalists of manipulating the videos they take during the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ rotation and resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal, which Chinese ships have interfered with.

The journalists were outraged over a social media post by the Chinese embassy in Manila on Wednesday that stated: “Each time the Philippines delivered supplies to the grounded warship, they had many journalists on board, and had them manipulate the videos they recorded to make sensational news and project the Philippines as a victim.”

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) lambasted China’s remarks, pointing out that the media is not a party to the territorial dispute in the WPS.

“The NUJP takes offense at the insinuation by the Chinese Foreign Ministry that journalists who accompany resupply missions in the West Philippine Sea are made to manipulate the videos they record to make sensational news and project the Philippines as a victim,” the union of journalists said in a statement.

It said that “state forces have no say” in the production and editorial decisions on reports related to Philippines-China confrontations in the WPS.

Media not a troublemaker

The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) said its journalist members have demonstrated credibility in covering both domestic and geopolitical conflicts since its founding in 1974 “as the larger tradition of the free press in the Philippines.”

“The association strongly rejects and condemns the false, baseless claims by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying and the Chinese Embassy in Manila that journalists ‘manipulate the videos they recorded’ in the South China Sea to ‘project the Philippines as a victim,’” FOCAP said in a statement.

FOCAP has expressed “deep offense” at China’s insinuation that “media is a troublemaker” and in cahoots with the government to forward a political agenda.

“Members of FOCAP include both Filipinos and foreign nationals from around the world, some of whom have been embedded in these Philippine missions," it said.

FOCAP called China’s remarks “a barefaced lie.”

“A free and independent press reports not what they are told but what they observe framed by historical and political context,” it said.

“The footage seen in the press is vetted by multiple sources and newsrooms. The work of journalists, including members of FOCAP and especially when carried by multiple media outlets, speaks for itself,” it added.