One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.
How to lose the 21st century to China:
1. Unilaterally disarm regarding the soft power competition by ending economic aid and international media agencies.
2. Impose tariffs irrationally on everyone.
3. Invade Greenland, break up NATO, and isolate the US from the entire world.
4. Defund universities.
5. Discourage the best and brightest from immigrating to the US.
6. Withdraw from international organizations, handing over their control to the Chinese Communist Party.
7. Foment polarization between Americans.
8. Stop supporting democracy abroad; just talk about power.
9. Weaken American democratic institutions at home.
The Chinese Embassy's statement demanding clarification from the Philippine government on whether my statements represent official policy—and why I have not been "held accountable"—is not only a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations but also an attempt to deflect from the core issue: China's repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea.
Article 41(1) of the Vienna Convention explicitly states that diplomatic missions must not interfere in the internal affairs of the host state. By pressuring our own government over my personal and professional expressions as the PCG spox on the WPS, the Chinese Embassy is engaging in precisely the interference it is obliged to avoid. This is not legitimate diplomacy; it is an effort to intimidate and suppress truthful reporting on matters of Philippine sovereignty.
Moreover, the Embassy's call for the Philippine side to "provide clarification and an explanation" should be redirected where it truly belongs. The Philippines—and the international community—deserves clear explanations from China regarding the well-documented incidents that we have consistently reported:
- The dangerous maneuvers, intentional ramming, and water cannon attacks by Chinese vessels against PCG and BFAR vessels;
- The illegal blocking and harassment of Filipino fishermen in our own exclusive economic zone;
- The deployment of hundreds of Chinese maritime militia vessels and the construction of artificial islands in violation of the 2016 Arbitral Award, which definitively invalidated China's expansive claims.
These are not "smears" or "slanders." These are factual accounts backed by video evidence, photographs, official Philippine Coast Guard reports, and third-party observations—including satellite imagery and statements from other nations. My role as Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea is to transparently communicate these realities to the Filipino people and the world, in full alignment with our government's commitment to rules-based order and international law.
If the Chinese Embassy objects to images or expressions that highlight these violations—often through legitimate public discourse or even satire—it only underscores discomfort with the truth being exposed. The Philippine government has no obligation to "discipline" me for accurately reporting violations occurring in Philippine waters. On the contrary, the Philippines has every right—and responsibility—to explain and defend the factual basis of these incidents, precisely because they demonstrate China's disregard for UNCLOS, the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, and peaceful coexistence.
China speaks of choosing "peace over conflict" and "dialogue over confrontation." True dialogue begins with accountability for one's actions, respect for sovereignty, and cessation of interference in another nation's affairs. The Filipino people remain resolute: we will continue to document, report, and assert our socereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea—peacefully, factually, and without fear.