As a concerted effort to inflame tensions in the South China Sea, the recent Felipe Reef debacle is in a class of its own. The objective is conflict creation, continue the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and mitigate Duterte’s legacies.

THE Whitsun Reef, known in the Philippines as the Julian Felipe Reef, is part of the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. In Manila, the reef narrative has been promoted, particularly by that part of local media that in the past has been linked with foreign funding and interests.