Ex-WESCOM chief Carlos relieved from post, reassigned to GHQ

Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos was relieved from his post as commander of the Western Command (WESCOM), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Wednesday.

“Right now, Vice Admiral Carlos is relieved from Western Command and placed under the General Headquarters under the supervision of the Office of the Chief of Staff,” AFP Public Affairs Office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said in a press briefing.

Carlos took a personal leave amid the allegations that he had a phone conversation with a Chinese diplomat and made a supposed agreement in managing the situation in Ayungin Shoal.

In an ambush interview, Padilla said Carlos extended his leave until this Wednesday. Due to this, she said the AFP has to designate another officer who can work full time.

“He was reassigned because he was on leave. So he was on leave and then nag-drag on din 'yung leave niya. Nag-submit siya ng extension of his leave,” she said.

(He was reassigned because he was on leave. So he was on leave and then his leave also dragged on. He submitted an extension of his leave.)

“And because it is a salient post, we have to designate somebody full time in his place,” she added.

As of now, Padilla said Carlos is designated to serve in the General Headquarters’ Support Command. This move is not a punishment nor a demotion against Carlos, according to Padilla.

The Chinese Embassy earlier 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.

“During the discussion, the AFP WESCOM has made repeated confirmation that the 'new model' has been approved by all key officials in the Philippine chain of command, including the Secretary of National Defense and the National Security Adviser. The communication and negotiation on this subject matter is kept on record in every detail by the Chinese side,” the Chinese Embassy added.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. denied the Department of National Defense (DND) was involved in any agreement with China regarding a supposed “new model” of conduct in the Ayungin Shoal.

National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año meanwhile said the Chinese Embassy's claim of a "new model" arrangement with the Philippines for managing the situation at the Ayungin Shoal is "absolutely absurd, ludicrous, and preposterous."

Año emphasized that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. did not empower nor authorize anyone in the Philippine government to enter into or commit to any agreement, understanding, or arrangement — more so informal ones.

Phone call

In a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Carlos confirmed receiving a phone call from a Chinese military attaché.

But, Carlos clarified that he did not enter into any deal that could compromise the Philippines' national interest.

Carlos said he received a phone call early this January from Chinese military attaché whom he identified as "Senior Colonel Li" of the Chinese Embassy.

He was not able to give the full name of the Chinese military attaché.

But in his opening statement, Carlos outrightly stated that he did not enter into any binding agreement between the Philippines and China.

"I did not forge any agreement at the level and magnitude that would bind our two countries for the long term and redefine foreign policy. I am only the commander of the Western Command and not even of the entire West Philippine Sea," Carlos said.

"As WESCOM commander, I have done my very best to provide for the welfare of WESCOM personnel. I did not enter into any secret deals that will compromise the interest of our country," he added.

The Philippines' BRP Sierra Madre is at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea since 1999. The government regularly sends supplies and rotates military troops stationed at the vessel.

China has been blocking the government's resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal, accusing the Philippines of entering the shoal’s vicinity waters “without the permission of the Chinese government” and illegally transporting construction materials to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.

China claims most of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia. 

The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling issued in 2016 however upheld the Philippines' 200-nautical mile EEZ, outlawed Chinese aggression in the common fishing ground of Scarborough Shoal, and rejected China' s expansive nine-dash-line claim of the entire South China Sea. —KG, GMA Integrated News