Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (Facebook)

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte has branded China as a gaslighter extraordinaire when it comes to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue. 

This, as the ranking congressman shunned China's latest offer to the Philippines to reopen diplomatic talks on resolving their territorial dispute in the WPS. 

“Beijing, the nonpareil gaslighter, has no place in any negotiating table to discuss the WPS issue as it persists on bullying us and harassing our vessels and fisherfolk on the absurd excuse that the Philippines is the one guilty of ‘infringement and provocation’ in intruding into South China Sea (SCS) islands and adjacent waters that belong to China," Villafuerte said. 

“Any diplomatic negotiation has zero chance of reaching a peaceful settlement of the territorial dispute for so long as China keeps its gaslighting ways," stressed the majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA). 

Villafuerte said that, to defend Beijing’s most recent dangerous maneuvers last Dec. 9 and 10 in the WPS, China Coast Guard (CCG) Spokesperson Gan Yu accused the Philippines of “deliberately” colliding with a Chinese vessel near Ayungin Shoal. 

He described Chinese actions during the incidents as “in accordance with the law and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests". 

Meanwhile, the Global Times, which is a newspaper run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), went to the extent of claiming that the Philippine vessel Unaiza May 1 had disregarded Chinese warnings, and then made an “unprofessional and dangerous turn” and “intentionally rammed into a CCG ship". 

“The scraping between the Philippine vessel and the CCG law enforcement boat was caused by the Philippines’ deliberate ‘collision,’ and the responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines,” Gan said in a statement posted on the CCG website. 

He added that the actions of Philippine vessels “undermine regional peace and stability. This is something that no peace-loving country in the region wants to see". 

Not to be outdone, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian later it was China that was the aggrieved party in the “infringement and provocation” by Philippine vessels even as he called on Manila to return to “dialogue and consultation”. 

But these accusations were quickly refuted by the Philippine National Task Force on West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), which said that it was CCG vessel with Bow no. 21556 that rammed Unaiza May 1. 

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., who was on board Unaizah Mae 1 when the Sunday incident happened, called the CCG a "liar" for inverting the situation. 

“Imagine, in fact they said we're the ones who collided with them which is really impossible because our ship is just too small compared to their larger ships, so what they are saying is not true," he said. 

Villafuerte said one more reason for the Marcos government to dismiss any Chinese offer for diplomatic talks is Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.'s view that China has no peaceful agenda when it comes to the WPS. 

The Bicolano noted that the latest incidents of water cannon firing and boat collision this month took place right after President Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the WPS issue during an impromptu meeting on the sidelines of the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in the United States (US) last November.