FALSE: Media did not report on Chinese reclamation on West Philippine Sea

Claim:

The news media did not report that shipments of rocks and soil from mining sites were being used as landfill for the Chinese man-made island on Kagitingan Reef when it was being built.

This claim was posted on Facebook by user Deuz J. Luzande,PGDE, on Thursday, September 10. It was shared on the Facebook page “Fact-checking in the Philippines” for verification.

Rating: FALSE

The facts:

There were media reports on the construction of a man-made island on Kagitingan Reef as it was ongoing. A number of media organizations also reported on China’s alleged use of soil from Zambales in the land reclamation on Scarborough Shoal.

The September 10 post said: “I can not believe that mainstream media like ABS-CBN, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Rappler, failed to report about the shipments of rocks and soils from mining sites of nickel to serve as a landfill for Chinese man-made structure on Kagitingan Reef or Fiery Cross Reef during the time that it was on going.”

Rappler, ABS-CBN, and Inquirer all published stories about the structures being built on Kagitingan Reef. Among other stories, the 3 news outlets published photos of the airstrip being built in 2015.

The post also claimed that the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) said that there are Chinese mining firms that have smuggled soil and rocks to create islands in the West Philippine Sea. The post did not specify if this was in relation to Scarborough Shoal or Kagitingan Reef.

According to Senate Committee Report No. 192, submitted on December 12, 2017, the Department of Defense and NICA belied then-Zambales governor Amor Deloso’s allegation that soil and rocks from Zambales were shipped, dumped, and used to reclaim almost 3,500 hectares of disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea. The report also said shipment logs of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Philippine Coast Guard did not support the claim.

Rappler, ABS-CBN, and Inquirer published stories on the Senate hearings in relation to this report.

They also reported on what Senator Risa Hontiveros said earlier in September on the West Philippine Sea as well as her call for a probe on whether Filipinos colluded with China on their reclamation of reefs in the area. – Vernise Tantuco/Rappler.com