WEST PHILIPPINE SEA — The Atin Ito coalition has criticized China’s reported landing on Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay), describing it as a “copycat” move and rejecting allegations of debris planting as disinformation.
In a Facebook post, Chinese newspaper Global Times showed photos of China Coast Guard law enforcement officers raising the Chinese flag at Sandy Cay, saying the images “demonstrate national sovereignty” and show they collected video evidence of the Philippines’ “illegal activities” and “ecological damage” to the reef.
Atin Ito co-convenor and Akbayan president Rafaela David condemned the Global Times’ social media post, calling it unlawful and a poor imitation of the group’s earlier dawn mission, in which civilians raised the Philippine flag.
“What China did after our successful civilian-led action is nothing but a clumsy imitation,” David said Tuesday.
“It only underscores how powerful and resonant our assertion was that they felt compelled to stage their own poor copycat version,” she added.
READ: Atin Ito holds first patriotic jetski flag ride off Pag-asa Island
Meanwhile, Akbayan Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula, who led the flag-raising on the cay, dismissed claims that Filipinos left trash on the island.
She described the accusation as a desperate attempt to distort the narrative and undermine a legitimate civilian effort.
“China is resorting to ‘tanim basura’ (planting trash). The accusation is both baseless and ironic,” Ismula said. “It is China that stands widely criticized for the large-scale destruction of coral reefs and marine ecosystems in the West Philippine Sea to build artificial islands.”
“It is China that has been linked to environmentally destructive practices, including cyanide fishing,” she added.
Ismula noted that no amount of imitation or false claims can change the facts, reaffirming that the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines.
She said Filipinos will continue to assert their rights peacefully, within the bounds of the law and with dignity.
“We will not be intimidated, and we will not be silenced in defending what is ours,” she added. /mcm
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