WEST PHILIPPINE SEA — The Atin Ito coalition has criticized China’s reported landing on Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay), describing it as a “copycat” move and rejecting allegations of debris planting as disinformation.
In a Facebook post, Chinese newspaper Global Times showed photos of China Coast Guard law enforcement officers raising the Chinese flag at Sandy Cay, saying the images “demonstrate national sovereignty” and show they collected video evidence of the Philippines’ “illegal activities” and “ecological damage” to the reef.
Atin Ito co-convenor and Akbayan president Rafaela David condemned the Global Times’ social media post, calling it unlawful and a poor imitation of the group’s earlier dawn mission, in which civilians raised the Philippine flag.
“What China did after our successful civilian-led action is nothing but a clumsy imitation,” David said Tuesday.
“It only underscores how powerful and resonant our assertion was that they felt compelled to stage their own poor copycat version,” she added.
Meanwhile, Akbayan Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula, who led the flag-raising on the cay, dismissed claims that Filipinos left trash on the island.
She described the accusation as a desperate attempt to distort the narrative and undermine a legitimate civilian effort.
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