A YouTube video claims that the Department of Foreign Affairs has ordered Philippine vessels to leave the West Philippine Sea. Not true. There is no such pronouncement from the DFA or any government agency.
The video uploaded on July 22 started with this claim on voiceover:
“Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro nagulat sa balitang susurrender na tayo sa China. Ayon sa Department of Foreign Affairs pumayag na raw ito sa gusto ng China na pauwiin na daw natin lahat ng barko. China tuwang-tuwa kumagat sa patibong ang Pilipinas.
(Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro was shocked with the news that we will surrender to China. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, it has already agreed to China’s demand to send all our vessels home. China was really happy that the Philippines fell into their trap).”
Its headline also read:
“GIBO SUSURENDER NA? DFA PINAPAUWI LAHAT NG BARKO? PUMAYAG NASA GUSTO CHINA! KUMAGAT TAYO SA PATIBONG
(Gibo will surrender now? DFA ordered all vessels to come home. Agreed to what China wanted! We took their bait)!”
There is no official directive from either the DFA or the Department of National Defense for Philippine vessels to leave the West Philippine Sea and stop the patrols along contested areas in the region.
The two agencies are committed to promoting the country’s presence and sovereign rights in the WPS, despite China’s intensified harassment and its repeated calls for Philippine vessels to leave the region.
The video emerged the same day that the Philippines and China announced a provisional arrangement for rotation and reprovisioning (RORE) missions to troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. Details of the agreement remain unclear after the DFA refuted China’s claim it will now be given prior notification before a RORE could take place.
The video did not present any proof to support its claim but only played unrelated clips, including Teodoro’s July 22 ANC interview where he talked about the new RORE agreement.
Uploaded by YouTube channels Boss Balita TV and BALITA NI JUAN, the video received 22,104 interactions. Facebook users also reposted the link.
