PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday welcomed France's intention to hold joint maritime exercises with the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea as vital to maintaining stability in the region.
The President told reporters in General Santos City that he is "thankful that different countries, some are far countries but stand ready to help us."
He said support from the international community was important in guaranteeing the freedom of navigation in the West Philippine Sea, where incidents of Chinese intrusion have been escalating.
France joined the Philippines and several other countries in the first "multilateral maritime exercise," which ended on Monday.
France, which has territories in the South Pacific, is hoping to strengthen relations with the Philippines to deter China's growing influence.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, but its claim was rejected by an arbitral tribunal that ruled in 2016 in favor of Manila.
On Friday, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año joined Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in calling on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to reprimand Chinese embassy officials and personnel who claim to have recorded an alleged phone conversation between a Chinese diplomat and a Philippine military official where they discuss the West Philippine Sea row.
Año said the embassy may have violated Philippine laws, particularly the Anti-Wire Tapping Act, and committed serious breaches of diplomatic protocols and conventions.
Año was referring to the January 3 phone conversation between Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command Chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos and an unnamed Chinese envoy.
The Chinese embassy made the recording public after being accused of spreading fake news when it purported that the Philippine government made an agreement with China on a "new model" to peacefully manage the situation in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
"The Chinese Embassy's repeated acts of engaging in and dissemination of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation — now releasing spurious transcripts or recordings of purported conversations between officials of the host country — should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned or without serious penalty," Año said.
He said the "unmistakable" objective of the Chinese embassy in releasing "falsehoods and smears" is to "sow discord, division, and disunity between and among the Filipino people."
"Without a doubt, these are serious breaches of the basic norms of international relations and diplomacy by the embassy," said Año.
"Bypassing official and long-established channels and protocols, talking to officials without the requisite authorities or bona fides, then maliciously claiming that alleged discussions should bind the Philippine government is farcical, foolish, and reckless," he said.
A ranking Chinese official earlier said they made the phone conversation public to "prove that we are not lying."
Carlos has abruptly gone on leave.
His classmates at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) expressed their support for their "mistah."
In a statement signed by Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr., PMA Class of 1989 president, his classmates agreed with Carlos that "in light of recent developments and the need for diplomatic prudence, the importance of exercising caution in handling sensitive reports and refraining from disseminating unverified information cannot be overstated, as it could potentially exacerbate tensions or mislead public opinion."
A source has said there are two conflicting statements about Carlos' whereabouts.
The first claims that he applied for a "personal leave," and the second, he was officially relieved as Wescom chief.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday told the Philippine military to evolve into multi-threat, multi-theater-operating armed force.
Speaking at the closing of Balikatan 2024 in Camp Aguinaldo, Teodoro congratulated the US and Philippine troops that took part in the exercise.
At least 14 countries, including India, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Asean nations, joined in the exercises that took place in Palawan, Ilocos Norte, La Union and Pangasinan.
"This is the way like-minded nations in this part of the world in the Indo-Pacific should go, and no amount of malign or for lack of a better term, perverse attempts to subvert our goal for a free and open Indo-Pacific and rules-based international order will stop our shared advance towards upholding this international accepted norms, come what may," Teodoro said.
The exercises, which began on April 22, brought together over 16,000 troops from the Philippines and partner nations.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said Friday China's intensified disinformation campaign on the West Philippine Sea and personal attacks against Philippine government officials prove that the country's transparency efforts have been effective.
NTF-WPS spokesman, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela, said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stepped up efforts to undermine transparency through "lies, misinformation, and fake news."
"Exposing their bullying tactics and countering their lies is important to ensure a better future for our next generation," Tarriela said in a post over X.
The CCP, he said, has resorted to ad hominem or unrelated personal attacks against him and other Philippine government officials.
"I hope that the paid trolls or the pro-China influencers can be able to look straight in the eyes of their children and grandchildren that their fight is not for China's interest," he said.
WITH THE PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY