President Marcos said it is hard to believe that the Philippines and China entered into an agreement regarding the disputed portions of the South China Sea but assured the public that the government is investigating it.

Marcos said this after the Chinese embassy in Manila claimed that the Philippine military, the Department of National Defense (DND), and the National Security Council (NSC) had entered early this year into an agreement with China about the South China Sea. 

The Embassy, which also released a transcript of the supposed conversation, said the agreement was between China and the Philippines, through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command, and was supposedly approved by key Philippine government officials.

In an interview in Makati on Saturday evening, May 18, the President said he has been wanting to hear this supposed conversation but no one in the government has a copy of it.

“There have been mentions of a tape that says, that confirms, that there was this agreement, etc. And I keep hearing that there is a tape and I keep wanting to hear it and as yet we don’t have it,” he said.

“If it does exist, it’s in the possession of the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese Government,” he added.

Until the recorded conversation surfaces, Marcos said it would be hard to believe nor accept that such an agreement exists.

“Until they (Chinese Embassy) release it, it becomes harder and harder to believe and to accept that there was an agreement,” he said.

Despite this, the President assured the public that the government is trying to get to the bottom of the supposed wiretapping.

“We’re looking into it,” he said.

“It’s very hard to come to any conclusion until we know the thing actually exists. So it’s very hard,” he added.