Roque: 'That's impossible'

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte ordered government troops to stop patrols in the disputed South China Sea but was met by opposition, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano said Saturday, days after the commander-in-chief said that waging war against China would result in a "massacre" of Filipino soldiers.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was not in favor of the directive to halt its watch amid continuing Chinese militarization in the area, said Alejano who attributed the information to his sources.

"Ang sabi ng Armed Forces, 'Teka muna that is our mandate. We will [be] remiss [in] our mandate to protect our sovereignty," Alejano, a former Marine, said in a forum in Quezon City.

(The Armed Forces said, 'Wait, that is our mandate. We will [be] remiss [in] our mandate to protect our sovereignty.')

He said he received the information "some months ago."

"This was protested by the AFP because that is contrary to their mandate as the protector of the people and the State and its goal of securing the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory," he later said in a text message.

"The military had to compromise with the Palace to limit patrols in the West Philippine Sea to once a month instead of completely halting it," said Alejano, a fierce administration critic.

The West Philippine Sea is the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.

AFP spokesperson Edgard Arevalo, meanwhile, denied Alejano's claim, saying the President never issued such order.

“I do not know where Cong. Alejano got that supposed instruction from the Commander-in-Chief. Malamang kuryenteng balita 'yan (that may be fake news) if not yet another malicious imputation on the President dragging the AFP in," he said in a statement.

“For the record, there is no such order coming from the Commander-in-Chief. As a matter of fact, our maritime and aerial patrols continue—contrary to such information allegedly received by the party-list congressman," he said.

He added that the military "continues and will continue to perform its mandate."

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque also denied Alejano's allegations.

"That's impossible!" Roque told ABS-CBN news in a text message.

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Last week, officials said the Philippines has been taking "diplomatic actions" against China, including filing protests, over the latter's activities in the South China Sea.

• Philippines taking 'diplomatic actions' vs China over South China Sea activities

This amid China's reported installation of missiles in islands it had built in the South China Sea, where it lays expansive claims overlapping with that of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

• Beijing 'installs missiles' on South China Sea islands
• Philippines taking 'diplomatic actions' vs China over South China Sea activities

A recent report, meanwhile, said the Chinese coast guard had bullied Filipino boatmen fishing at the Scarborough Shoal.

• Palace checks alleged bullying of Filipino fishermen in Scarborough

The shoal, a small ring of reefs about 230 kilometers (140 miles) away from the Philippines and 650 kms from the nearest major Chinese land mass, is part of the Philippines' EEZ.

A Hague-based tribunal in 2016 ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China's sweeping claims in the disputed waters.

Under the ruling, the tribunal held that both the Philippines and China had traditional fishing rights at the Scarborough Shoal.

The Philippine government under the Duterte administration had downplayed the ruling as the President continued to pursue closer ties with China.

The two sides have been engaged in dialogue in hopes of peacefully resolving the dispute.

• PH, China agree to 'properly manage' maritime dispute: Chinese state media