SUMMARY
MANILA, Philippines – When talking about the West Philippine Sea, narratives are important.
Overlapping and diverging narratives took a scandalous turn last week, with Beijing claiming possession and threatening the release of a recorded phone call that, it said, proves that Western Command Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos had agreed to their terms in resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
China called it a “new model.” Manila dismissed it as b__s – at least until Beijing floated the threat of the recording, then quickly released it anyway through select Philippine newspapers.
First, a quick review of narratives:
The Philippine narrative, especially according to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela, is this: it’s a David and…
Source:https://www.rappler.com/philippines/view-manila-philippines-narratives-ayungin-shoal-west-sea/