Teodoro: Expel from PH those responsible in alleged recording of China-PH ‘new model’ deal

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday said those responsible in recording the alleged conversation between Chinese and Filipino officials about the supposed “new model” deal over Ayungin Shoal be should be expelled from the Philippines.

In an ambush interview during a maritime security symposium, Teodoro said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will investigate the matter as this can be considered as a violation of the wiretapping law.

“Ito ay iiwanan namin sa DFA na alamin ang katotohanan kung ano talaga ang nangyari at kung ito talaga ay nangyari dahil ito ay gawain di umano ng Chinese embassy mismo na paglabag sa batas ng Republika ng Pilipinas,” he said.

(We will leave it to the DFA to find out the truth of what really happened. And if it really happened because  allegedly the Chinese embassy violated the law of the Republic of the Philippines.)

“Dapat alamin kung sino ang responsable dito at alisin sa Republika ng Pilipinas (We must find out who is responsible for this and remove it from the Republic of the Philippines),” he added.

He made the statement when asked about the reports on the alleged leak of a recording of a supposed conversation between a Chinese embassy diplomat and Armed Forces Forces of the Philippines’s Western Command (WESCOM) commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos on the “new model” deal over Ayungin Shoal.

“May pahayag ang Chinese Embassy sa Pilipinas na mayroon kunong alleged reporting sa isang kawani ng Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Teodoro said.

(The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has a statement that there is alleged reporting to a staff member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.)

“The authenticity of which I doubt, even the propensity of the Chinese government to engage in malign information activities. Ngayon, ito ang dapat nating tutukan at dapat intindihin ng ating mga kababayan,” he added.

(The authenticity of which I doubt, even the propensity of the Chinese government to engage in malignant information activities. Now, this is what we should focus on and our countrymen should understand.)

GMA News Online sought comment from the Chinese Embassy in Manila on the matter but it has yet to provide a statement as of posting time.

On Saturday, the Chinese Embassy said the WESCOM supposedly made an agreement with China on the “new model” for managing the situation at the Ayungin Shoal.

“To follow up on the important consensus between the two heads-of-state to deescalate tension in the South China Sea, the Chinese side and the Philippine side through AFP WESCOM agreed on a ‘new model’ for the management of the situation at Ren'ai Jiao early this year after multiple rounds of discussions,” it said.

Philippine officials have denied the said deal.

WESCOM’s Carlos has taken a personal leave but the AFP said it has nothing to do with the “new model” deal issue with China.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone have been renamed as the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News