(THE MANILA TIMES) SEN. Jinggoy Estrada said on Thursday that the “new model” to ease tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was nothing but a disinformation campaign by the Chinese government.
“Let us reassert that Ayungin Shoal is an integral part of our exclusive economic zone, a fact that has been unequivocally upheld by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016,” Estrada said in a statement.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has reiterated that it is unaware of any “new model” for the resolution of the WPS issue, as referred to by the Chinese Embassy.
It has affirmed that the Philippines has not conceded any agreement that relinquishes its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, including the Ayungin Shoal.
For matters of such significance, any contracts or agreements would only be established if sanctioned at the highest echelons of government, the DFA said.