Armed Forces of the Philippines chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr., urged the public to remain vigilant against misinformation regarding the country’s potential conflict with China amidst heightened tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

“Marami kasing kumakalat na fake news na sinasabing magkakagyera tayo. Gusto po naming ipaabot sa ating mga kababayan na huwag kayong mag-alaladahil ginagawa po natin lahat ng ating kayang gawin upang maiwasan po natin ang gyera (There is a lot of fake news circulating that we will go to war. We want to tell our countrymen not to worry because we are doing everything we can to avoid war),” Brawner said in an ambush interview shortly after the Basic Citizen Military Course Class graduation ceremony at the Baguio Country Club on Saturday. 

Brawner said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the military to remain diplomatic to avoid armed conflict. 

“The President's order is for us to exhaust all possible measures and actions to prevent war because if this happens, we will all lose—whether the Philippines or other big countries. We will all lose. No one wins in war,” he pointed out.

Brawner assured that while the Philippines is preventing war, the country will continue to assert its sovereignty and sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone.

Meanwhile, Brawner lambasted China's aggressions in Philippine waters.

“They are the ones provoking and escalating the tension in the WPS. This was evident during the last resupply mission [at Ayungin Shoal],” he said. 

He further stressed that Filipinos continue to follow international laws and promote a rules-based order in asserting the country’s rights over the WPS.