President Benigno S. Aquino III while delivering his speech during the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) joint celebration of the 116th Philippine Independence Day & 13th Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day at the Tent City of The Manila Hotel in Rizal Park, Manila City on Tuesday (June 10).
MANILA, June 16 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Monday shrugged off China’s recent comment that the Philippines was trying to draw the world’s sympathy through deception in the dispute over territories in the South China Sea.
“It is part of the dynamics of international relations to conduct information campaigns or to propagate a national policy by utilizing the mass media as a channel of communication. So we are not unduly perturbed by this action,” Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a news briefing.
He issued the statement after Beijing claimed before the United Nations that the root cause of the dispute in the South China Sea was the Philippines’ illegal occupation of the disputed islands.
It also said that the Philippines “trying to win international sympathy and support through deception.”
Coloma, however, indicated that there was no need for the government to launch a media offensive to clarify the country’s position to the international community.
“Nakikita naman natin na mayroong mataas na antas ng pagiging interesado ang mga major mass media organizations at sila mismo ang nagsisikap na malaman ang posisyon ng Pilipinas… nagkakaroon [na] ng traction ang ating katwiran hinggil sa pagpapairal ng international rule of law, at dahil dito, pinapansin ito ng pandaigdigang komunidad, hindi lamang ng mga kagawad ng mass media,” Coloma said.
The Philippines and China are locked in a long-running territorial dispute over parts of the South China Sea or, as the Philippines would call the waters in its claim, the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines has elevated the issue to a UN tribunal. (MNS)