DFA warns vs 'unverifiable recordings' of PH-China 'new model' deal

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday issued a warning amid the reported threat to release "unverifiable recordings" concerning the alleged "new model" agreement reached regarding Ayungin Shoal.

"The DFA cautions against falling for false narratives," DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a statement, referring to the alleged agreement reached between a Philippine military official and a Chinese diplomat regarding movements in the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

"Resorting to tactics such as releasing unverifiable recordings of supposed conversations with Philippine officials could demonstrate efforts to sow discord and confusion among Philippine agencies and the Filipino public," Daza said.

The DFA issued the statement after Chinese diplomats released to select media outlets the alleged transcripts of the supposed conversation between the Armed Forces of the Philippines - Western Command (AFP WESCOM) chief and a Chinese diplomat about the alleged arrangement in Ayungin Shoal.

Daza said diplomats should follow the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which states that "it is the duty of all persons... to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State."

"They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State," she added, citing the Convention.

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

The Chinese Embassy on Saturday said AFP WESCOM  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.

The DFA earlier said that no official from the Marcos administration entered into any agreement with the Chinese government regarding Ayungin Shoal.

"The DFA wishes to emphasize that only the President of the Republic of the Philippines can approve or authorize agreements entered into by the Philippine Government on matters pertaining to the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea," the DFA said in a statement on May 7.

The Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Security Council (NSC) have both denied the existence of such agreement.  The AFP, for its part, said it will not dignify China's claims.

AFP WESCOM commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos has taken a leave of absence over "personal" reasons, but the AFP said it was not related to the "new model" issue. 

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.

The Philippines has renamed parts of the waters within its exclusive economic zone West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said China's massive claim over the South China Sea has no legal basis — a decision that Beijing does not recognize. —KBK, GMA Integrated News