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National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Ano reiterated that the Philippine government does '' not recognize'' the ten-dash line claim of China showed in the newly issued version of its standard map released early this week.

"First of all, we do not recognize the ten-dashed line. We do not even recognize the nine-dashed line much more the 10-dash line. The arbitral award is final and binding and it gives us our maritime entitlement, our extended economic zone, our territorial waters and even our extended continental shelf," he said.

Ano noted that "there are already a lot of countries that adversely reacted to this 10-dash line: India and Malaysia, and there would be more countries I think to react adversely against this 10-dash line."

"We will continue to protect our territorial integrity and our national sovereignty," he said.

"Our Armed Forces, our uniformed services, our government will do everything in its capacity to ensure that we are protecting our national interest," he added.

In his speech read by NSC Deputy Director General Nestor Herico in a West Philippine Sea seminar for the media in Quezon City on Thursday, Ano noted the importance of the contribution of media amid the "psychological warfare" of China.

"As other claimant countries seen to be using other tactics perhaps divert our attention or divide the Filipino people, we'll need the media to walk in unison with the government in countering these strategies. For instance, just recently we have observed that Beijing has been engaging in psychological warfare advertently to trap us in their narratives. As a result we become preoccupied with these engagements instead of focusing in the real issue," he said.

"It is in this instance that we become distracted again and when other countries see it, they take advantage of this distraction. It is then important that we arm ourselves with unified messaging, one that is backed (with) truthful information and which stands on legal grounds," he added.

Ano said the government recognized the "crucial role of the media in all parts of development as you have been traditionally considered the eyes and ears of everything, especially now as we witness recent tensions and more belligerent actions in the contested waters over West Philippine Sea." Robina Asido/DMS