Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. denied on Sunday that his department had entered into a “new model” accord with Beijing to manage disputes in the West Philippine Sea, particularly at Ayungin Shoal.

“I would like to clearly state that any insinuation that the Department of National Defense (DND) is a party to any ‘new model’ is a devious machination of China through their Embassy in Manila,” Teodoro told journalists.

“And it is curious that it (China’s pronouncement) comes right after their actions (of using water cannons against Philippine vessels) were condemned in the recent SQUAD meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii,” he added.

He also denied the embassy’s claim that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through its Western Command (WesCom), had multiple discussions with Chinese officials earlier this year centered on the maritime tension at Ayungin Shoal.

China had said that either the “gentlemen’s agreement” or the “new model” could be utilized as a confidence-building measure in “managing disputes, avoiding conflicts and maintaining peace” without touching on the two countries’ respective sovereignty claims.

The gentlemen’s agreement apparently referred to the alleged “status quo” deal between then-President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the overlapping claims of China over the South China Sea and the Philippines’ own in the WPS.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration declared baseless China’s claims to nearly the entire SCS, while affirming the Philippines’ own claim in the WPS. The two bodies of water overlap, thus the repeated encounters between Chinese and Philippine vessels.

Discredited

China has been aggressively imposing its already discredited territorial claim in the SCS, using lasers, water cannons and dangerous maneuvers against Philippine government and private vessels.

Its embassy in Manila claimed that the AFP-WesCom had repeatedly confirmed approval of the “new model” by key Philippine officials like Teodoro and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año.

Año flatly denied engaging Chinese officials to forge the claimed “new model,” saying the claim he did so was “absolutely absurd, ludicrous and preposterous.”

He said that after the courtesy call of the Chinese ambassador to his office early last year, he did not talk “directly or indirectly on any matter” with any Chinese official.

“No one in the Philippine government is, nor has been, empowered, or authorized, to enter into or commit to any sort of agreement, understanding, or arrangement — more so informal ones, by our President,” he stressed.

Año said not even the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea committed to any proposal that would compromise the country’s national interest.

Teodoro said he has disallowed contacts between the DND and the Chinese Embassy since the courtesy call of Ambassador Huang Xilian — a few days after he assumed office in July last year.

“During the said courtesy call, there was no discussion or briefing on any gentleman’s agreement or new model, which is contrary to the Chinese Embassy’s pronouncements,” Teodoro stressed.

False claims

He warned the public to remain vigilant against efforts by China to manipulate and control the flow of information to justify its expansive but baseless territorial claim in the SCS.

“This charade must stop. I am issuing this statement to generate awareness on this clear attempt by China to advance another falsehood in order to divide our people and distract us from their unlawful presence and actions in our EEZ,” he added.

Last Thursday, Teodoro met his counterparts from the United States, Australia, and Japan in Honolulu, Hawaii to deepen their cooperation — a few weeks after these countries wrapped up their maritime cooperative activity held in the WPS.

Teodoro, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru, and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, have expressed grave concern over the situation in the East and South China Sea during their meeting.

The Defense ministers strongly objected to the dangerous deployment of China’s coast guard and maritime militia vessels in WPS.

They reiterated serious concerns about China’s repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels while exercising high seas freedom of navigation and the disruption of supply lines to Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal), “which pose dangerous and destabilizing behavior.”

The DND said the quadrilateral meeting was crucial to emphasize the importance of upholding freedoms of navigation and overflight and respecting international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Defense cooperation

“They called upon the PRC to adhere to the final and legally binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award and pledged to support states exercising their rights and freedoms in the South China Sea,” it added.

They also discussed enhancing defense cooperation, including maritime activities and capacity building as well as reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the rules-based order and ensuring stability in the region.

Meanwhile, Año said the Chinese Embassy has gone far to support their illegal claims on the WPS. “The Chinese Embassy even went to the extent of creating a chat group with select members of the media to manipulate the information environment,” he noted.

Año said instead of the media asking the questions, the embassy posts leading questions, which they themselves answer, providing them the opportunity to publish their corrosive narratives and scripted stories.

“The media is then compelled to ask the Philippine government for comment; everyone then falls into the trap the Embassy has deceitfully sprung on them,” he added.

Año pressed that the Chinese government is utilizing false narratives to distract Filipinos from the “bigger story” of the piling of dead corral rubles in Pag-Asa Cays 1, 2 and 3 in the WPS.

He said China wants to create a high tide man-made geologic feature between Pagasa Island and Subi Reef in an attempt to reverse the findings of the 2016 Arbitral Award. Año said China wants to dislodge everyone from the headlines and deflect attention from them.

He said China has truly reached a “new low of pathetic desperation.”

“Given that this entire “arrangement story” is clearly fake news and disinformation, this will be the last time I will ever comment on this issue,” Año further noted.