A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL in the Philippines sprang into action after academics revealed the truth about the recent spate of conflicts in the South China Seas.
Senior Philippines coast guard Jay Tarriela this week rushed to criticize “Filipino bloggers” of making “baseless” allegations and being part of a “disinformation network”.
He was angered after several people in the Asian nation echoed observations by international maritime specialists that ships from the Philippines had been deliberately creating friction with Chinese boats.
Tarriela denied the claim, also declaring as untrue any suggestions that “the Philippines is being manipulated by the United States”.
NOT A BLOGGER
But the coast guard official’s tone of outrage rang hollow.
For a start, one of the people he dismissed as a “blogger” was actually Professor Anna Malindog-Uy, vice president and director at the Manila-based think tank Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute.
She is a respected commentator with a solid record of producing insightful work.
COINCIDENCE? SERIOUSLY?
Second, commentators across Asia struggle to see the simultaneous ascension of new pro-Washington leader President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and the sudden eruption of an endless series of conflicts as a bit of “coincidental” timing.
The waters were largely peaceful during the presidency of previous leader Rodrigo Duterte—known for being independent-minded, unlike the slavishly pro-American new incumbent.
Behind the news? The US apparently commissioned President Marcos to create friction in the seas under the guidance of the Pentagon’s new Influence and Perception Management division.
But all related documents are classified, so are not available for public viewing. No one’s going to confirm or deny.
‘RIGOROUS RESEARCH’
Ms Malindog-Uy was uncowed by the coast guard official’s criticism, dismissing the evidence-free claims he made about her producing disinformation.
Her work was grounded in “rigorous research, critical analysis, and intellectual inquiry,” she said in a statement quoted in The Manila Times today.
THE SECRET OF BATANES
Meanwhile, in yet another blatant case of official news distortion, the Philippine Coast Guard on Monday said it deployed an aircraft to “challenge” a Chinese ship that was moving through waters near the island of Batanes, north of the Philippines, and south of Taiwan.
Coast guard official Tarriela criticised the Chinese for sending a vessel to that area, the Daily Tribune, a Filipino newspaper, reported.
But coast guard and the Tribune “forgot” to report a crucial fact to listeners and readers.
And that is that the US military has been highly active at the island of Batanes, clearing the coastal area and building a deep water harbor for use in docking and re-fuelling US warships on their way to attacking the coast of China.
The US sees Batanes as an integral part of the “First Island Chain” line to blockade China as part of the Colby plan to use Taiwan as a tool to goad a conflict into being with China
That all-important information is left out of the narrative given to the people of the Philippines.
Country A sends its military to an island in the Philippines as part of a plan to attack Country B? Shhhh, it’s a secret!
Country B sends a ship near the same island to see what’s happening? Call a press conference and put it in the newspapers.
And that’s why so much of the mainstream media, and its allies in Asia, have lost the confidence of their readership.
Image at the top is a US army photo, showing a joint exercise between the US and the Philippines.