A senior official in the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has rejected claims made by China regarding any agreements reached with the previous Philippine government on the South China Sea dispute, stating that any behind-the-scenes deals go against the national interest and are no longer valid.
National Security Adviser of the Philippines, Eduardo Ano, stated in a release on Saturday (April 20), “The President’s stance is very clear: this administration is unaware of any secret or ‘gentlemen’s’ agreements, and if there were such agreements in the past, they have been revoked.”
He mentioned that if any such agreements were made, “the relevant parties are responsible” to explain to the Filipino people, but the current government is not bound by them.
Under the leadership of Marcos Jr., the Philippines has asserted its sovereignty in the South China Sea and has intensified efforts to maintain a World War II vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre, which symbolizes its sovereignty. The landing ship was intentionally grounded at Ayungin Shoal (also known as Second Thomas Shoal by the Philippines) within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone in 1999, serving as a forward outpost for Manila.
According to ABS-CBN, former President Rodrigo Duterte claimed before Marcos Jr. that he had reached an oral agreement with China to no longer provide construction materials for the repair and maintenance of the said vessel.
Ano said, “We should not fall into a trap evidently intended to sow seeds of division in our country, weaken our resolve to assert sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.”
The National Security Adviser continued, “We call on all Filipinos to stand firm on our position, to resist defamatory and corrosive remarks aimed at undermining the national interest.”
The “West Philippine Sea” refers to the waters in the South China Sea off the west coast of the Philippines, officially renamed by Philippine President Aquino on September 12, 2012, aiming to clarify the Philippines’ sovereign claim.
Prior to the release of this statement, the Chinese Embassy in Manila claimed to have informed the current government “numerous times” about the so-called gentleman’s agreement, while President Marcos Jr. stated he had no knowledge of such a “secret agreement.”
The Chinese Embassy also stated that Beijing had invited a “presidential envoy” in September 2023 to discuss the management of the Ayungin Shoal dispute and had “reached an understanding internally.”
The Chinese Embassy in Manila mentioned, “Both sides also agreed on a new modality of managing the situation at Ayungin Shoal early this year.” It then accused the Filipino side of unilaterally abandoning “these understandings and arrangements.”
However, Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, dismissed China’s assertion of a so-called “new modality” for managing the situation in the West Philippine Sea as a form of interference aimed at dividing the Filipino people.
“Just as the President clearly pointed out, there is no agreement on Ayungin Shoal, and we will continue to conduct all activities within the framework of international law, proving that our legitimate actions are not interfered with,” Malaya stated during a forum in Quezon City on Saturday.
“The Chinese Embassy propaganda masters are apparently working overtime to sow discord and division in our country, with the sole purpose of portraying the Philippines as the source of tension and conflicts in the West Philippine Sea,” Malaya, who is Assistant Secretary-General of the National Security Council, warned the Chinese Embassy, “Any understanding without the President’s authorization is not valid.”
“Therefore, the Philippines has never violated any agreement because there was no agreement to begin with,” Malaya said, “If there was no agreement, what is there to violate, right?”
The National Security Council official further stated that Marcos Jr. and his government “would never agree to any understanding that would contravene our understanding of our territorial and international law.”
“Whatever the Chinese Embassy says, we are cautious,” he added, “These people claim the entire South China Sea belongs to them.”
In 2016, the International Tribunal ruled on the Philippines’ arbitration case, declaring China’s historical claims in the South China Sea invalid.
Beijing ignored the Tribunal’s decision to invalidate its nine-dash line map, calling the ruling “null and void” and continuing to clash with the Philippines over the resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre stationed at Ayungin Shoal.
Marcos Jr. questioned his predecessor Duterte last week about what compromises were made in the “secret agreement” reached with China.
The current President raised three questions regarding the so-called agreement: Was there such an agreement? What was contained in it? Why was it kept secret?
Duterte stated that he made no concessions to China during his term but agreed to maintain the “status quo,” meaning neither the Philippines nor China would take any actions to disrupt the South China Sea, including providing construction materials to the stranded Philippine vessel at Ayungin Shoal.
While former President Duterte played down the 2016 ruling, his successor has been more proactive in publicly asserting and establishing closer military alliances with other countries seeking to strategically uphold the rule of law to safeguard the Philippines’ rights in its exclusive economic zone.
Last week, Marcos Jr. attended the inaugural summit of the Philippines, Japan, and the United States, pledging to strengthen maritime and economic cooperation.
Earlier this month, the three nations, along with Australia, conducted quadrilateral exercises in the West Philippine Sea. China expressed concern, suggesting it could escalate tensions in the region.
The Philippines and the U.S. will also hold the annual “Balikatan” exercises, with more government agencies and armed forces from other countries participating.
However, Malaya denied that the upcoming exercises (scheduled from April 22 to May 10) were preparations for war.
He stated, “The focus of ‘Balikatan’ is to enhance the defense capabilities and prowess of the Philippines, as well as interoperability and cooperation between the Philippine and U.S. forces.”
“Let me be very clear about this. War is not a tool of national policy for the Philippines… just because we have ‘Balikatan’ does not mean we are going to war. The only way to keep the peace is to have a strong deterrence capability,” he said. “We are exhausting all diplomatic means to resolve this issue.”
At the same time, Malaya mentioned that the Philippines and Japan are expected to sign a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) by the end of 2024, “and more countries have shown interest.”
The VFA, similar to the Philippines’ agreements with the U.S., will serve as guidelines for Philippine military forces to enter Japanese territory and vessels and conduct operations, and vice versa.
This will be the first VFA signed between Japan and a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, following agreements earlier this year with Australia and the United Kingdom.
Japan and the Philippines have been seeking to strengthen trilateral defense cooperation with the U.S. to counter Chinese actions of building military infrastructures on artificial islands and frequent intrusions into the territorial waters of other countries.
(This article referenced reports from “The Manila Times”)