Palace backs move to pull out ‘Pine Gap’ episodes on China’s nine-dash line
South China Sea map depicting China’s “nine-dash line.” INQUIRER.net stock photo
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang supports the decision to have episodes of a political drama showing a map of China’s “illegal” nine-dash line in the South China Sea pulled out.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque was referring to the order of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to Netflix to cut out episodes of “Pine Gap” for “violating Philippine sovereignty.”
“Suportado ‘yan dahil ang MTRCB naman ay under ng Office of the President mismo at and Department of Foreign Affairs ang humingi sa MTRC na ‘wag ipalabas ito sa ating bansa,” he said.
(The Palace supports it because MTRCB is under OP and the DFA itself was the one that asked MTCRB to have it taken down in the country.)
“Ito ay based sa very inaccurate scope of the Chinese territory,” he said.
The DFA has lodged a complaint before the MTRCB regarding particular episodes of “Pine Gap” which is being shown globally by the popular television streaming service.
The MTRCB handed down its decision on the complaint last September 28, according to the DFA.
In its decision, the MTRCB underscored that “under a whole-of-nation approach, every instrumentality of the government, whenever presented with the opportunity, has the responsibility to counter China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea to assert the Philippines’ territorial integrity.”
The MTRCB further noted that the “portrayal of the illegal nine-dash line in Pine Gap is no accident as it was consciously designed and calculated to specifically convey a message that China’s nine-dash line legitimately exists,” according to the DFA.
Manila and Beijing have been locked in a long-standing maritime dispute.
The Philippines, in 2013, filed a case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague in the Netherlands challenging China’s nine-dash line claim that covers nearly the entire South China Sea, including parts of the West Philippine Sea.
The PCA, in July 2016, ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China’s sweeping assertion over the South China Sea.
Beijing has repeatedly to recognize the PCA ruling.
