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Palace: 'Welcome to China' banners handiwork of gov't enemies

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/tvpatrol/07/12/20180712_china.jpg"/><figcaption>One of the banners was hung along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City. <em>Photo by: Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Malacañang said it will do nothing about the posters tagging Philippines as a province of China but it was sure the installation of the banners was the handiwork of government enemies. </p><p>Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Philippines continue to assert its sovereignty and sovereign rights in its territories that are the disputed areas in the South China Sea.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s absurd. I&#x27;m sure it&#x27;s the enemies of the government that&#x27;s behind it. So to them, try again. You need a better gimmick than that,&quot; he said in a press briefing. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/12/18/philippines-province-of-china-banners-hung-in-parts-of-capital">&#x27;Philippines, Province of China&#x27; banners hung in parts of capital</a></li></ul><p>Roque said he has no idea whose group was behind the banners but he said these people wanted to propagate a lie. </p><p>&quot;Wala po kaming gagawin. Pero I&#x27;m sure may mga taong nais kunin &#x27;yung tarp para gamitin siguro pamunas ng sahig or something... o ilalagay sa kubeta,&quot; he said.</p><p>(We will not do anything about it. But I&#x27;m sure there are people who would want to take those tarps so they can use it to wipe the floor or something, or put them in the toilet.)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1429398" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="~//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="~//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>The red banners with the words &quot;Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China&quot; were hung in time for the second anniversary of the Philippines&#x27; win over China in an international arbitration court.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/07/12/16/read-arbitral-courts-ruling-on-philippines-vs-china">READ: Arbitral court&#x27;s ruling on Philippines vs China</a></li>	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/12/16/philippines-hails-arbitration-win-calls-for-restraint">Philippines hails arbitration win, calls for ‘restraint’</a></li></ul><p>The message, which was a reference to a joke made by President Rodrigo Duterte before, was written in both English and Mandarin. The banners had a similar design and also bore the Chinese flag. It was not immediately clear who installed the signs.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/19/18/duterte-jokes-about-making-ph-a-province-of-china">Duterte jokes about making PH a &#x27;province&#x27; of China</a></li></ul><p>&quot;We assure the public on the second year anniversary that we will continue to assert what is ours while we move on with our bilateral relations with China,&quot; Roque said. </p><p>He said issues on sovereignty on the disputed areas of South China Sea will take many years to resolve because they were not a subject of the arbitral ruling that the country won two years ago.</p>

<p>Malacañang said it will do nothing about the posters tagging Philippines as a province of China but it was sure the installation of the banners was the handiwork of government enemies.</p>

Malacañang said it will do nothing about the posters tagging Philippines as a province of China but it was sure the installation of the banners was the handiwork of government enemies.