Sandy Cay is Ours: Frontline Tonight debunks China’s propaganda

CHEERS TO TV5’s Frontline Tonight‘s reports on the Philippines’ assertion of sovereignty over the Sandy Cay, in response to the disinformation campaign by a Chinese media. Philippine media reports called attention to Sandy Cay’s crucial position for maritime entitlement and reviewed the terms set by the  2002 Declaration of Code of Conduct among Southeast Asian countries and China. 

On April 27, an inter-agency maritime operation made a routine visit and raised the Philippine flag in the Sandy Cay, near the Pag-asa Island, to counter a Chinese State media report that claimed that the Chinese Coast Guard had seized the cay, also known as Pag-asa Cay.  

The media was quick to debunk China’s disinformation. The three reports of Frontline Tonight on April 28, which were placed consecutively, placed facts and figures side-by-side and supplemented each other, providing a bigger picture of the incident. 

Challenging China’s narrative

Gio Robles’ report cited Jonathan Malaya, the assistant director of the National Security Council, who reaffirmed the Philippines’ sovereignty over the Sandy Cay with the establishment of a joint maritime operation around the cays. Robles also focused his report on evidence of China’s plan to reclaim the cays, revealing the dead corals in the area as reported in the  Philippines’ marine resource assessment in 2024.  

Gretchen Ho’s report for Frontline Tonight recalled her March 2024 coverage when marine scientists visited and assessed the cays, noting the degraded marine life caused by China’s reclamation activities. 

Ed Lingao’s NewsExplainED noted the 2002 Declaration of Conduct prohibiting the occupation of uninhabited islands, recalling the Philippine plan to build a naval outpost in Sandy Cay in 2017. Lingao’s report also noted that Sandy Cay was formally named Pag-asa Cay 2 after a municipal ordinance was passed by the Municipality of Kalayaan. 

These reports refuted the blame that China has thrown at the Philippines, citing findings of marine assessments and the Philippines’ declared commitment to observe the terms of conduct. 

Sandy Cay’s importance

Robles and Ho underscored the geo-political importance of Sandy Cay, noting its proximity to Philippine military outposts and China’s attempts to strengthen maritime entitlements by occupying the cays. 

Robles noted that Sandy Cay 2 is the largest cay and is just three kilometers away from the military outpost located in Pag-asa Island. 

Ho’s report, on the one hand, cited maritime expert Jay Batongbacal and Malaya, who said that the attempt to seize Sandy Cay is part of China’s strategy to expand the areas they are claiming and, in effect, reverse the 2016 arbitral ruling. 

The incident in the Sandy Cay could escalate the tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Journalists should follow up on this situation with a continued effort to challenge China’s propaganda claiming the WPS, informing the public about its illegal activities to support their claims and asserting the recognition from the 2016 arbitral ruling. 

China’s persistent disinformation has been countered by Filipino journalists. These efforts are important as these embed the message in the media coverage, setting the record straight and recalling the legitimate basis of the Philippine claim to sovereignty in the WPS.