Año slams persistent talks on ‘gentleman’s agreement’

MANILA, Philippines — National Security Adviser Eduardo Año denounced yesterday how persistent talk about a gentleman’s agreement, supposedly entered into between the previous administration and the Chinese government, is distracting and even dividing Filipinos on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.

“The persistent discourse about alleged, unsubstantiated or imaginary promises; of secret non-binding gentleman’s agreement or deals has been used to create distractions, divisions and conflict among our people,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Año called on Filipinos to unite and focus on the real and more important issue of asserting Philippine sovereignty in the country’s territorial waters.

“We should not fall into a trap which clearly seeks to sow division in our country and weaken our resolve in asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

“The President has been very clear: this administration is not aware of any secret or gentleman’s agreement and if there was such done under a previous administration, the same has been rescinded,” he stressed.

“Moreover, any such agreement, if proven to be true, are inimical to the national interest and the Constitution. If there is any such agreement, it is the responsibility of those responsible for it to explain it before the Filipino people but it is not and will never be binding upon this administration,” he said.

Año called on “all Filipinos to stand their ground and push back against these malign and corrosive narratives that seek to undermine the national interest.”