DND 'strongly condemns' Chinese official's 'pay the price' comments

The Department of National Defense (DND) on Saturday slammed the pronouncement made by the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs after he said that some Philippine officials allegedly spreading disinformation could "pay the price." 

“The Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines strongly condemn such an affront to any of its members and reiterates that it shall not be cowed by any official of the PROC (People's Republic of China) whether in their homeland or as guests here," said DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong in a statement.

"We shall continue to speak against their lies and malign actions when such are committed," added Andolong.

The DND statement comes after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun gave "a word of advice" to persons they described as "relevant individuals in the Philippines."

"Immediately stop making provocations and stop confusing right and wrong, or they will pay the price for what they did," said Guo.

The DND responded by saying that such statements “proves the unflinching and twisted attempt by the PROC to spread distorted narratives and pursue its ineffective and distasteful campaign to bully smaller countries.”

“The WPS (West Philippine Sea) and any of its features have never been part of the PROC and we shall continue to perform our duty to stop the PROC’s malign influence and illegal activities in our areas of jurisdiction,” he added.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Manila for comment but it has yet to reply as of posting time. 

Last week, China lodged diplomatic protests against Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela over social media posts against its leaders.

Tarriela, however, maintained that his statements were based on “factual accounts.”

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. —VAL, GMA Integrated News