Palace on alleged order for AFP to stop patrolling West PHL Sea: 'That's impossible!'

Malacañang on Sunday denied it gave an order to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to stop patrolling the West Philippine Sea.

"That's impossible!" presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a message sent to reporters.

Opposition lawmaker Magdalo party-list Representative Gary Alejano on Saturday claimed that the Duterte administration has ordered the AFP to stop patrolling the disputed West Philippine Sea.

"Ayun ang information na nakuha natin na 'wag na tayong magsayang ng oras sa West Philippine Sea kasi wala rin naman mangyayari. Gagastos tayo ng fuel diyan wala rin naman mangyayari... so 'wag na kayo mag-patrolya," the opposition lawmaker said in a news forum.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Saturday disputed Alejano's claims. "There was no such order," he said.

AFP spokesperson Colonel Edgard Arevalo in a statement issued on Saturday said Alejano's claims were a "malicious imputation" on President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Malamang kuryenteng balita 'yan if not yet another malicious imputation on the President dragging the AFP in... For the record, there is no such order coming from the Commander-in-Chief," he said.

Alejano on Sunday denied that he received wrong information about the supposed order.

"'Yung information na ito, I got hold of this information personally, first-hand information some months ago," Alejano told Super Radyo dzBB in an interview.

"Hindi kuryente 'yan. I am 100 percent sure because the person, the source has the authority to say that and he relayed to me the information personally," he added.

Some areas of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, are the subject of a territorial dispute among China, Philippines, and other nations.

China has built artificial islands with runways in the disputed area. —With a report from Virgil Lopez/KG, GMA News