Gentlemen’s row

In strongest words ever yet, our Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officially demanded from the People’s Republic of China to get out of our maritime territories around the West Philippine Sea (WPS). In behalf of the Philippine government, the DFA – headed by Secretary Enrique Manalo – issued this demand following the latest water cannon attacks involving Chinese Coast Guard vessels at the Panatag Shoal last April 30. 

In the same vein, our DFA again cautioned Filipinos from the ongoing misinformation and manipulation of the WPS issue. The DFA Secretary underscored these calls before the Bagong Pilipinas National Security Cluster Communications Media Workshop held last week at the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) in San Narciso, Zambales.

“The South China Sea is shared by many coastal states, and our portion of it is what we call the West Philippine Sea,” Manalo pointed out. The other countries that also claim isles, islands, atolls, shoals, reefs and rocks around the South China Sea are, namely, Brunei, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.   

“For far too long, the narrative surrounding the WPS has been obscured by misinformation and manipulation,” the DFA Secretary deplored. 

“Disinformation campaigns run rampant, seeking to distort the truth and sow discord amongst nations and amongst our people,” Manalo warned.

This obviously includes the persistent narratives from Beijing about our country’s reneging on a supposed “gentlemen’s agreement” between the two highest leaders of the Philippines and China. In fact, the Chinese Embassy in Manila has repeatedly referred to this purported “special arrangement” between the Philippines and China.   

Under this “special arrangement” claimed by Beijing, the Philippine government vessels and aircraft are forbidden to enter within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal. Locally called Panatag Shoal, the rich fishing grounds located at Bajo de Masinloc in Zambales supposedly also bars our Filipino fishermen from entering the shoal lagoon under the same “special arrangement.” The shoal lies within our country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the WPS.

Likewise, Beijing has also been insisting for the Philippines to comply with its “official commitment” to tow away BRP Sierra Madre out of our Ayungin Shoal, also located at the WPS. 

These “special arrangements” were reportedly made in 2016 coinciding with the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte with his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping. Not officially acknowledged, ex-president Duterte’s pro-China bias during his administration has given credence to Beijing’s claim on the questioned existence of such “gentlemen’s agreement.”

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM), however, swore he is not aware of any such “special arrangements” on the WPS between Manila and Beijing. PBBM declared he is “rescinding” it effectively, if there’s any. In his latest public declaration on the same issue, PBBM admitted he was even “horrified” just thinking about such kind of deals if indeed ex-president Duterte agreed to but failed to inform him before or after the transition of their administrations on June 30, 2022.

Although no details were provided, the existence of the Duterte-Xi “gentlemen’s agreement” was attested to by former presidential spokesman Harry Roque. However, three other former Duterte Cabinet officials belied the claims of Roque. These were, namely, former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, ex-Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and ex-Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo. 

Roque subsequently clarified that he actually referred to the “modus vivendi” arrangement that Lorenzana testified to before a House committee public hearing several years ago.  

At the resumption of sessions of the 19th Congress last week, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez announced in a press conference they will invite these former Duterte Cabinet officials to shed light on the alleged “gentlemen’s agreement.” Romualdez declared the Lower House intends to exercise its congressional oversight functions to ferret out the truth on this very sensitive national security issue on the WPS.

Romualdez, a maternal first cousin of PBBM, disclosed the House national defense committee chaired by Rep. Raul Tupas called for public hearing on this controversy. It was after Zambales Rep. Jefferson Khonghun filed a House Resolution seeking legislative inquiry into the controversial “gentlemen’s agreement” on the WPS. The Speaker cited he is also as “horrified” as PBBM to be told there is an official deal secretly done but nobody in the Philippines is privy to except the former president. 

Romualdez noted even these former Duterte Cabinet officials have differing versions of the truth. “Baka nabubudol na tayo nila,” the Speaker quipped. (Roughly translated: “We are as if gullible.”) We know where the Speaker is coming from. After all, he also has a running feud with ex-president Duterte and daughter Vice President Sara Duterte.

From the highest office of the land, let us take this issue down to the lower level of the chain of command in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad during our Kapihan sa Manila Bay last Wednesday publicly declared the AFP never received at their level any order – in verbal or in writing – to execute and implement “special arrangements” with China on WPS. 

Trinidad, from Class 1991 of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), recalled his particular stint as head of the Philippine Navy Staff Operations Group from 2016-2017 that handled the resupply missions to Ayungin during those years. “We in the military move on orders. There is no such official order not to conduct patrols or resupply missions,” Trinidad averred.

Trinidad stressed the AFP fully adheres to its Constitutional mandates to carry out the instructions of their incumbent Commander-in-Chief and act according to the guidance of the Chief Executive as the country’s principal foreign policy architect.          

Trinidad explained the BRP Sierra Madre in particular remains a commissioned ship of the Philippine Navy and is considered an extension of the Philippine territory. Thus, he stressed, the AFP would continue to ensure the comfort and habitability of the BRP Sierra Madre for the military personnel on board. 

Before ex-president Duterte bowed out of office at Malacañang Palace, the last resupply mission to Ayungin was carried out on June 20-22, 2022. So what’s the gentlemen’s row all about?