Ganito kung ituring ni National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año ang pag-angkin ng Tsina sa Palawan at sabihing bahagi ito ng kasaysayan ng mga tsino.
“We categorically reject the baseless and revisionist claims circulating on Chinese social media that Palawan was historically part of China and should be returned to it,” ang sinabi ni Año sa isang kalatas.
Sinabi pa ng NSA na ang pagpipilit ng Tsina na igiiit ang kanilang pag-angkin sa Palawan ay kathang-isip lamang na naglalayong baluktotin ang kasaysayan, linlangin ang publiko at hamunin ang soberanya ng Pilipinas alinsunod sa batas nito at ‘internationally recognized territory.’
“Palawan has always been and will always remain an integral part of the Republic of the Philippines. No historical record, legal precedent nor credible evidence support the claim that Palawan was ever under Chinese sovereignty,” dagdag na wika nito.
“archaeological findings, centuries of indigenous and colonial governance, and internationally binding treaties such as the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1900 Treaty of Washington unequivocally establish the Philippines’ ownership of Palawan,” ang litaniya ni Año.
idinagdag pa nito na ang pag-angkin ng Tsina sa Palawan na minsan na di umanong pinangalanan na “Zheng He Island” ay “an outright fabrication with no basis.”
“While Admiral Zheng He, a Chinese explorer, visited Southeast Asian waters in the 14th and 15th centuries, there is no historical record that he ever visited Palawan. Even if he did, such visit does not equate to ownership, just as the voyages of other explorers do not alter the sovereignty of nations today,” ang sinabi ng NSA.
Sa ngayon, tinutunton na nila ang source o pinagmulan ng disinformation, na unang lumutang sa Chinese social media app Weibo at Red Note, isang short video platform gaya ng TikTok.
Subalit, binigyang diin ng NSA na hindi ito nanggaling mula sa official government sites, o sa kahit na anumang Chinese mainstream media outlets.
“Nonetheless, these false narratives, proliferated through digital disinformation and information warfare tactics, appear to be part of a broader effort to undermine Philippine sovereignty and manipulate public perception both in the Philippines and China,” ang sinabi ni Año.
Dahil dito, hinikayat ni Año ang mga mamamayang filipinio at ang international community na manatiling bigilante laban sa disinformation campaigns at magtiwala lamang sa mga ‘verified historical at legal sources’ kaysa sa mga propaganda na malinaw na dinisenyo para isulong ang geopolitical agenda na sisira sa katotohanan. Kris Jose
