DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday slammed the Chinese Embassy for violating the Anti-Wiretapping Law, a day after it released an audio recording that purportedly showed Western Command chief Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos agreeing to a "new model" for managing the dispute over Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

While he did not categorically deny the authenticity of the recording, Teodoro again denied the existence of a secret deal on the Ayungin Shoal.

Carlos was on leave on the day the audio recording was released, and it could not be determined if it was his voice on the tape.

At the sidelines of a symposium titled " Turning the tides in the West Philippine Sea," Teodoro cast doubt on the recording, citing the Chinese government's propensity for misinformation.

But he also blasted the Chinese Embassy for violating the Anti-Wire Tapping Law and secretly recording the supposed conversation between Carlos and an unidentified Chinese diplomat.

"If the statement indeed came from the Chinese Embassy and it had recorded anybody from the Philippines, [this] is a clear [admission] they have violated Philippine laws, particularly the Anti-Wire Tapping Law," Teodoro said.

"This is also in violation of international relations," he said, describing the Chinese action as "an underground operation."

He insisted that only the President of the Philippines and nobody else could enter into an agreement on the West Philippine Sea.

Teodoro said he would leave the matter to the Department of Foreign Affairs to evaluate the actions of the Chinese Embassy.

"We should determine who is responsible for this, and [the person] should immediately be expelled by the Philippines," Teodoro said.

Teodoro said China had waged a massive disinformation campaign that necessitated countermeasures.

Meanwhile, West Philippine Sea spokesman Commo. Roy Vincent Trinidad tried to dismiss the Chinese claims of a secret agreement on Ayungin Shoal as "a dead story."

"We need not dignify such stories that have been revived from the grave. I will act as the undertaker now and bring that story back to where it rightfully belongs," Trinidad said.

Despite the Chinese Embassy brouhaha, the morale of the Philippine Navy and the Armed Forces of the Philippines is at its highest, he said.

Meanwhile, a Chinese Embassy official said they released the audio recording made on Jan. 3, 2024 to prove that they were not lying about the "new model" to peacefully manage the Ayungin Shoal situation.

"We have to protect the reputation of our country," the Chinese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

"Our purpose is not to embarrass anybody," he added. "Our goal is to find a way to de-escalate the tensions, to find a way to manage the situation," the Chinese official added.

He said they wanted to show, through the recorded telephone conversation, that China received confirmation that Defense Secretary Teodoro, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año and AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. all gave their approval to the "new model" at least according to Carlos.

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