Two YouTube videos are claiming that the United Kingdom’s (U.K.) Royal Navy will now rush to defend the West Philippine Sea after President Ferdinand Marcos attended the coronation of King Charles III. This is not true.
The two false videos were published on May 6 and 7 and continue to circulate this week. Both bore the untrue headline:
“MALAKING GULO TO! GRABE PRES BBM! SUMUGOD SI KING CHARLES! GYERA NA! UMATAKE SA WEST PHILIPPINE SEA (This is pandemonium! This is very serious, President [Marcos]! King Charles charges! It’s war! Attacks in the West Philippine Sea)!”
Each voiced by a different narrator reading off the same script, the videos also claimed that the U.K. has warned foreign vessels attempting to enter the West Philippines Sea that their military will “pulverize” unwanted ships at Marcos’ beck and call.
To support its claims, the videos showed two clips taken from a media conference with Marcos and a message delivered by U.K. Minister to Indo-Pacific Annie-Marie Trevelyan.
Neither Marcos nor Trevelyan mentioned such a move.
In the May 4 press briefing after his official visit to the United States, Marcos said the Philippines will continue its trade relations with the U.K. and provide assistance to Filipino nationals there.
Marcos never said anything about the U.K. defending the West Philippine Sea throughout the entire briefing. The president noted that while the Royal Family may have some input on foreign policy, the U.K.’s foreign ministry ultimately determines the relationship it will have with the Philippines.
Trevelyan also never said the Royal Navy was at Marcos’ beck and call during her March 31 visit to the Philippine Coast Guard. News reports quoted her promising to deepen and increase maritime cooperation between the U.K. and the Philippines.
The false videos emerged on the day Marcos attended on May 6 the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla.
YouTube channels BALITA NI JUAN (created on Aug. 16, 2021) and Boss Balita TV (July 15, 2021) published the videos that collectively garnered over 9,500 interactions and 382,000 views.
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