LA police probe how Friends star Matthew Perry obtained lethal ketamine dose

May 23, 2024 | 12:02 am

Matthew-Perry-in-Friends-(1994) — Matthew Perry in Friends. — IMDB

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles homicide detectives and federal agents are investigating how Friends star Matthew Perry obtained the high dose of the powerful prescription drug ketamine that was found in his body and determined to have caused his death, police said.

The disclosure on Tuesday of an ongoing criminal probe by police and two federal agencies came five months after the Los Angeles County medical examiner concluded Perry succumbed to an accidental drug overdose and drowning, with no foul play suspected.

The Dec. 15 autopsy report concluded Mr. Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine,” which combined with other factors caused the actor to lose consciousness and slip below the water in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home.

“Based on the medical examiner’s findings, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service, has continued its investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Perry’s death,” the LAPD said in a statement.

A police spokesperson said detectives from the LAPD’s robbery-homicide division were conducting the police inquiry.

Toxicology tests found ketamine, a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, in Mr. Perry’s body at dangerously high levels well within the range typically associated with general anesthesia used in monitored surgical care, the autopsy said.

Coronary artery disease, the effects of the opioid-addiction medicine buprenorphine — also detected in his system — and drowning were listed as contributing factors in his Oct. 28 death.

Mr. Perry, 54, who publicly acknowledged decades of drug and alcohol abuse, including the years he starred as Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s television sitcom Friends, had been sober for 19 months with no known relapses before his death, according to interviews cited in his autopsy.

Witness interviews in the report said he had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety. But his last known treatment was a week and a half before his death, so the ketamine found in his system by medical examiners would have been introduced since that last infusion, the autopsy said.

“The exact method of intake in Mr. Perry’s case is unknown,” the report said, adding that trace amounts of ketamine showed up in his stomach. No needle marks were found on his body, it said.

How the actor might have obtained ketamine on his own or who might have supplied it to him were left open questions and, according to an LAPD spokesperson, are the focus of the ongoing investigation.

A DEA spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation, referring media inquiries to the LAPD. — Reuters

Degrowth vs prosperity in economic and energy policies

May 23, 2024 | 12:02 am

There has been some not so good news in the Philippines’ fiscal and energy sectors recently. See these stories in BusinessWorld: “Philippines aims to double solar, quadruple share of wind in power output by 2030” (April 30), “Zero tariff policy now extended to two-wheeled EVs, hybrid vehicles” (May 17), “Yellow alert raised over Luzon, Visayas” (May 20), “Biofuel decision seen requiring study due to impact on poor” (May 21).

The zero tariff policy on imported EVs is another double standard in taxation. Even if the government needs additional tax revenues to reduce the budget deficit — P272.6 billion in Q1 2024, slightly up from P270.9 billion in Q1 2023 — the government gives up collecting taxes from people who are not really poor since they can afford EV motorcycles and hybrid cars.

The expansion of solar power (often via the conversion of agricultural land to solar farms) and the expansion of biofuel to feed vehicles (often made using corn and sugarcane) imply less food production for humans and livestock, which contribute to higher food inflation.

One piece of good news recently seen in BusinessWorld is this: “DoE signs two more deals with US to enable nuclear transition” (May 21). As this column has continuously argued lately, we need more nuclear energy for power generation, plus nuclear applications in agriculture, healthcare, and other sectors.

The endless push to have more wind-solar power in the power grid and the scramble to decarbonize has already led to deindustrialization and degrowth in many countries in Europe. Clear examples are the UK and Italy — their total electricity generation has been declining for two decades (2005-2024) now, whereas high coal-using China and Vietnam, and also the Philippines, have been able to sustain growth of 4-11% over the past two decades (see Table 1).

This week, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) held a media briefing and among the data they presented were the levels of power reserves, margins, and prices in the March to May billing. The price increases in April and May over March were substantial but smaller compared to the prices in April and May 2023. Mainly because the Margin (= Supply – [Demand + Reserve requirements]) in 2024 was significantly larger than the Margin in 2023 (see Table 2).

CLIMATE CHANGE
The Australia Bureau of Meteorology’s sea surface temperature (SST) index in El Niño region 3.4 showed that as of May 19, the index was 0.35° Celsius (C), meaning it was in the neutral phase (between 0.5° C to -0.5° C). So, the El Niño phase (an SST of 0.51° C or warmer) is over and we are transitioning to La Niña (an SST of -0.51° C or cooler).

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s climate prediction center shows that as of its May 20 projection, we will enter the La Niña phase around early July, or less than two months from now. Then we will prepare for more clouds and rain, and more floods in this part of the Pacific.

Again, climate change is natural or nature-made, a warming-cooling cycle that has existed for the past 4.6 billion years when planet Earth was born. The El Niño-La Niña cycle, the wet-dry cycle in the tropics, the winter-spring-summer-fall cycle in the North and South Hemispheres, the water evaporation-condensation cycle, etc., are all natural. All the policies and public spending, and subsidies to “fight man-made climate change” amount to nothing and should be stopped.

We should focus on more economic growth, more prosperity to save the poor and hungry, not save the planet which does not need any savior in the first place as it just goes through endless warming-cooling cycle for decades and even centuries.

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. Research Consultancy Services, and Minimal Government Thinkers. He is an international fellow of the Tholos Foundation.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Cap on credit card charges now up for review, BSP says

May 23, 2024 | 12:02 am

THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) is likely to decide within the month if it will keep or adjust the current interest rate cap on credit card transactions, a senior official said.

BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi G. Fonacier told reporters on May 9 that the central bank is still reviewing data on the matter.

“We actually submitted an initial report to the Monetary Board. They required some additional information, and that’s what we are gathering currently. We intend to resubmit again to the Monetary Board,” she said.

“When we submit it, say within the month, the Monetary Board will decide in a meeting once they are satisfied with the requested data,” she added.

Ms. Fonacier noted the BSP will remain data-dependent regarding its recommendations and decisions on the ceiling on card charges

The BSP in August 2023 kept the maximum interest rate on unpaid outstanding card balance at 3% per month or 36% a year. The existing ceiling on the monthly add-on rate that credit card issuers can charge on installment loans was also maintained at 1%.

The maximum processing fee on the availment of credit card cash advances was likewise retained at P200 per transaction.

The BSP last hiked the cap by 100 basis points in January 2023 from 2% previously following cumulative rate hikes implemented by the Monetary Board amid elevated inflation.

The higher cap was also meant to mitigate the impact of inflation on banks and credit card issuers.

The BSP reviews the interest rate ceilings on credit card transactions every six months. — A.M.C. Sy

Potential MRT-7 realignment went through proper talks, says Bulacan mayor

May 23, 2024 | 12:02 am

SF_Main-photo-OL — Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7)

THE possible realignment of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-7) has gone through proper consultation, according to the local government of Bulacan.

“Considerations to reroute the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 from its initial path within the city resulted from effective and inclusive consultations with all relevant stakeholders,” Bulacan Mayor Arthur B. Robes said in a statement on Wednesday.

This comes after Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said last week that the completion of the MRT-7 is experiencing delays due to right-of-way issues in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

“Our city government consolidated various sentiments from our constituents and we immediately shared it in a meeting with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista for their consideration,” Mr. Robes said.

He said the local government has submitted proposals to divert the Quirino highway route as the station is considered a “key thoroughfare” in the area.

“We have also forwarded options where this essential project can push through while also ensuring that the general welfare of the people of San Jose Del Monte is met,” he said.

The MRT-7 has a total of 14 stations. It will run from Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, and is expected to carry 300,000 passengers daily in its first year, and up to 850,000 passengers a day in its 12^th year.

It is a project of San Miguel Corp., with the company financing the construction and set to operate the 23-kilometer commuter rail system under a 25-year concession agreement with the government.

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) has said it is looking at opening the Quezon North Avenue Joint Station to Lagro by the first quarter of 2025.

The Bulacan leg of the MRT-7 will not be completed by 2025 as only 12 stations of the commuter rail line will be operating by then, the DoTr said, adding that the new target for the line’s full operations is between 2027 and 2028. — A.E.O. Jose

Public-private partnerships to deter cyberattacks

May 23, 2024 | 12:01 am

STRONGER public-private partnerships on cybersecurity can help protect Asia from against global and domestic online threats, leaders of Philippine cybersecurity and data protection communities attending the ongoing ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Technical Working Group joint meeting in Cambodia said on Wednesday.

“A harmonious whole-of-Asia and whole-of-society approach to fight cyber threats in the region has to be orchestrated among government and private sector leaders in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan, along with other countries in the region,” Philippine Computer Emergency Response Team (PH-CERT) President Lito Averia said in a statement.

Mr. Averia said Asian countries face similar threats, adding that their respective governments’ digital infrastructure along with Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) are constantly attacked by international and local threat actors.

National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines (NADPOP) Founding President Sam Jacoba said an Information Exchange Network will serve as a cyber weather station that will receive, verify, and send out threat alerts to affected regions.

According to PH-CERT and NADPOP, the country needs 180,000 trained and validated cybersecurity professionals to guard its CIIs. A similar number is needed for data privacy, governance, risk and compliance professionals in the country.

PH-CERT and NADPOP are also attending the fifth board meeting of the newly-formed ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Community Alliance (AJCCA), a community event happening alongside the working group meeting.

Meanwhile, the 2^nd Public-Private Cooperation meeting between AJCCA and government cybersecurity representatives from ASEAN and Japan focused on the five pillars of the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) by the United Nations International Telecommunications Union, namely legal, technical, organizational, capacity building, and cooperation.

Mr. Averia and Mr. Jacoba said joint initiatives between the government and private sector will be rolled out soon as the main output of these quarterly regional meetings. These initiatives seek to address gaps in the GCI Cybersecurity Pillars for each country and the whole region.

“When government and private sector organizations work hand-in-hand to fight cyber threats, citizens will benefit the most,” Mr. Averia said.

“What is emerging through these meetings is a regional force for good that will serve as a shield for countries and citizens against threat actors, who are now using AI in their attacks. We are inviting all active Communities of Practice in the region to collaborate with our regional community, the AJCCA, as threat actors are also organized in their actions. During these times, we truly need a whole-of-region, whole-of-society, and even whole-of-community cooperation to effectively respond to cyber threats,” Mr. Jacoba added. — A.R.A. Inosante

Europe sets potential benchmark for rest of the world with landmark AI laws

May 23, 2024 | 12:01 am

BRUSSELS — Europe’s landmark rules on artificial intelligence (ai) will enter into force next month after European Union (EU) countries endorsed on Tuesday a political deal reached in December, setting a potential global benchmark for a technology used in business and everyday life.

The European Union’s AI Act is more comprehensive than the United States’ light-touch voluntary compliance approach while China’s approach aims to maintain social stability and state control.

The vote by EU countries came two months after EU lawmakers backed the AI legislation drafted by the European Commission in 2021 after making a number of key changes.

Concerns about AI contributing to misinformation, fake news, and copyrighted material have intensified globally in recent months amid the growing popularity of generative AI systems such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Google’s chatbot Gemini.

“This landmark law, the first of its kind in the world, addresses a global technological challenge that also creates opportunities for our societies and economies,” Belgian digitization minister Mathieu Michel said in a statement.

“With the AI Act, Europe emphasizes the importance of trust, transparency, and accountability when dealing with new technologies while at the same time ensuring this fast-changing technology can flourish and boost European innovation,” he said.

The AI Act imposes strict transparency obligations on high-risk AI systems while such requirements for general-purpose AI models will be lighter.

It restricts governments’ use of real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces to cases of certain crimes, prevention of terrorist attacks and searches for people suspected of the most serious crimes.

The new legislation will have an impact beyond the 27-country bloc, said Patrick van Eecke at law firm Cooley.

“The Act will have global reach. Companies outside the EU who use EU customer data in their AI platforms will need to comply. Other countries and regions are likely to use the AI Act as a blueprint, just as they did with the GDPR,” he said, referring to EU privacy rules.

While the new legislation will apply in 2026, bans on the use of artificial intelligence in social scoring, predictive policing and untargeted scraping of facial images from the internet or CCTV footage will kick in in six months once the new regulation enters into force.

Obligations for general purpose AI models will apply after 12 months and rules for AI systems embedded into regulated products in 36 months.

Fines for violations range from €7.5 million ($8.2 million) or 1.5% of turnover to €35 million or 7% of global turnover depending on the type of violations. — Reuters

Adapting to the situation

May 23, 2024 | 12:01 am

IN THE BOOK, The Upside of Irrationality (2010), author Dan Ariely delves into the effect of emotion on economic behavior. One of the subjects he tackles is “adaptation.” Whether in a good situation or a bad one, one gradually adapts to the condition he is in.

Ariely points to his own experience of having undergone a severe and painful hospitalization procedure after suffering burns and broken bones from an accident. In one process, to avoid the amputation of an arm, the doctor required surgical techniques without the benefit of anesthesia as Ariely’s heart condition would not allow the use of drugs. The long procedure was somehow helped by the doctor asking his patient to count slowly from one to 10 to somehow adapt to the pain.

Adaptation also applies even to very pleasurable conditions like sudden wealth or the assumption of an influential position. This process of acceptance and entitlement even has a name for behavioral economists like Dan Ariely. It is called “hedonistic adaptation.” How many times have we heard moguls complain about the boredom of having their own plane to ferry them everywhere or staying in a mansion where the voices echo in the emptiness? (Even the heated pool can lose its charm.)

Ariely suggests a way of prolonging the pleasure and avoiding early adaptation. If one is soaking in a hot spring pool with a significant other with nothing on but a smile, the pleasure can be prolonged if interrupted. (Let me get a nice cold glass of champagne first.) The resumption of the pleasure restarts the adaptation process.

The classic anecdote of the “boiling frog” is an example of adaptation leading to danger. The frog is dropped into a pot of room-temperature water. The heat is turned up gradually in stages, as the frog adapts continuously. It does not realize at some point that it is being boiled alive.

Our own culture is quite adaptive. There is a readiness to adapt to even the most difficult situations like bad traffic, heat waves, and oratorical excesses among celebrity lawmakers. Is our cultural adaptation and acceptance a barrier to change?

For change to be considered there must be deep dissatisfaction with, and raging anger at, the current situation. This state of dissatisfaction goes against the grain of an adaptive culture that can accept chaos as a given. Reformers are unhappy and discontented, making them socially irritating to those who can adapt.

The ability to adapt and blend in is essential to Filipinos living and working overseas. There is readiness and even yearning to be accepted by adapting to the local culture, with its unwritten rules.

Integration into the local milieu involves acquiring the right accent and imbibing the formulaic responses to greetings and small talk with strangers. (How are you feeling today? I’m good.) Beyond this verbal skill lies the adoption of the local work ethic, attire, traffic rules, transactional proficiency for shopping and banking, as well as celebrating local holidays.

The Filipino abroad is a cultural chameleon that can effortlessly chuck his past baggage and take on such cultural habits like football madness with the intricacies of that game and fan behavior, or Thanksgiving dinners and their required menus and home decor.

As a reptile, the chameleon conceals itself against his background by taking on the color of its surroundings and blending into these as a defense mechanism. This same ability to adapt to the new habitat comes naturally to us as a people. We would rather not disagree even with disagreeable people to avoid confrontation and making a scene and attracting unwanted attention.

The reason Filipinos do well enough abroad to send billions of dollars back home is not just self-selection which favors the adventurous and hardworking. It is also their talent to absorb the culture they find as they take pains to belong to their acquired community or organization.

While this extraordinary ability to adapt to anything sharpens our survival instincts, it also makes us uncomfortable with reformers and crusaders who want to upend the buffet table.

Wanting to adapt and be just part of the scenery invites an almost pathetic need to belong and stay the course. Like the boiling frog, it is not clear when the best time is to jump out of the pot… while there’s still time.

Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda

ar.samson@yahoo.com

Country Builders Bank rebrands as Top Bank Philippines

May 23, 2024 | 12:01 am

COUNTRY Builders Bank, Inc. has changed its name to Top Bank Philippines, Inc. (A Rural Bank), it said on Wednesday.

“Our vision is clear: to be the top-of-mind and trusted banking institution that transforms the lives of our customers by constantly providing easy, personal, and secure banking solutions while adapting to their changing needs through traditional and secured digital platforms,” Top Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Ismael Sandig said in a statement.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said in a circular dated May 10 that it approved the change in the rural bank’s corporate name on Jan. 19 and the Securities and Exchange Commission cleared it on April 30.

Mr. Sandig said the rural bank, which is the largest in Metro Manila and nearby regions, is looking to expand through mergers or acquisitions and improve its digital capabilities.

“Aligned with our strategic direction, we’re simplifying access to financial support for small businesses, including sari-sari stores and retail ventures, making success simple for all customers,” he said.

Top Bank also plans to introduce more offerings like mobile banking and improve its automated teller machine (ATM) network.

“As part of this initiative, we’re acquiring an ATM Switch & Card Management system to facilitate the launch of products like debit cards and more,” Mr. Sandig said. — AMCS

Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures, Inc. to hold Annual Stockholders’ Meeting on June 20

May 23, 2024 | 12:01 am

Amended Notice of Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

Notice is hereby given that the Annual Stockholders Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 8:30 in the morning.

The agenda for the said meeting shall be as follows:

Call to Order
Secretary’s Proof of Due Notice of the Meeting and Determination of Quorum
Approval of the Minutes of the Stockholders’ Meeting held on June 20, 2023
Management’s Report
Ratification of Acts of the Board of Directors and Management During the Previous Year
Election of Directors (including Independent Directors)
Appointment of External Auditor
Approval of the Amendment of the Amended By-laws to (i) adjust the notice period and (ii) formally authorize stockholders to vote through remote communication or in absentia in accordance with the Revised Corporate Code
Other Matters
Adjournment

A brief explanation of the agenda item which requires stockholders’ approval is provided herein. The Information Statement, Management Report, SEC Form 17A will be uploaded to the Corporation’s website https://www.shakeysgroup.ph/ and PSE EDGE.

The record date for the determination of the shareholders entitled to vote at said meeting is on May 2, 2024.

Stockholders may attend the meeting and vote via remote communication only.

Stockholders should pre-register at this link: https://www.shakeysgroup.ph/ir/register from May 25, 2024 to May 29, 2024.

Upon registration, Stockholders shall be asked to provide the information and upload the documents listed below (the file size should be no larger than 5MB):

A. For individual Stockholders:

Email address
First and Last Name
Address
Mobile Number
Current photograph of the Stockholder, with the face fully visible
Stock Certificate Number and number of shares held by the stockholder
Valid government-issued ID
For Stockholders with joint accounts: A scanned copy of an authorization letter signed by all Stockholders, identifying who among them is authorized to cast the vote for the account

B. For corporate/organizational Stockholders:

Email address
Name of stockholder
Address
Mobile Number
Phone Number
Stock certificate number and number of shares held by the stockholder
Current photograph of the individual authorized to cast the vote for the account (the “Authorized Voter”)
Valid government-issued ID of the Authorized Voter
A scanned copy of the Secretary’s Certificate or other valid authorization in favor of the Authorized Voter

Stockholders who will join by proxy shall download, fill out and sign the proxy found in https://www.shakeysgroup.ph/ir/register. Deadline to submit proxy forms is on June 7, 2024.

All registrations shall be validated by the Corporate Secretary in coordination with the Stock Agent. Successful registrants will receive an electronic invitation via email with a complete guide on how to join the meeting and how to cast votes.

Only stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 2, 2024 are entitled to notice and to vote at the meeting.

(SGD.)
MARIA ROSARIO L. IBANEZ
Corporate Secretary

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How expensive is the Philippines’ fixed broadband compared with its peers in the region?

May 23, 2024 | 12:00 am

The country’s average monthly broadband cost amounted to $35.55 (around P2,049) this year, latest data from consumer comparison site Cable.co.uk showed. This put the Philippines the 89th cheapest out of 223 countries in the report. However, it was the seventh most expensive broadband in the East and Southeast Asia region despite sitting below the Asia-Paciﬁc average of $39.88 per month.

PSEi member stocks performed — May 22, 2024

May 23, 2024 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.

Analyst advises Manila to beef up defense against China aggression

May 22, 2024 | 9:05 pm

Chinese vessel-Philippine Coast Guard — Philippine Coast Guard personnel documents a Chinese Coast Guard vessel shadowing the Philippines’ resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. — REUTERS

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz and John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporters

WORKING for peace in disputed waters would require the Philippines to ramp up its military modernization to deter China’s increasing aggression in the South China Sea, a renowned analyst said on Wednesday.

“The chance for peace is higher if the Philippines actually beefs up its armed forces for more credible self-defense, sustains its joint patrol activities in the South China Sea, and broadens its alliances with other friendly nations,” GlobalSource Partners country analyst Diwa C. Guinigundo said in a brief.

Citing a statement from the United States (US) Indo-Pacific Command, Mr. Guinigundo noted that the Philippines may invoke its Mutual Defense Treaty with the US if China’s harassment results in the death of a sailor or military personnel.

“It will indeed be uglier if cooler heads do not prevail, and raw force is deployed outside the perimeter of international law,” said Mr. Guinigundo, a former central bank deputy governor.

In an earlier brief, Mr. Guinigundo said the Philippines may experience a major power crisis if it cannot exploit oil and gas reserves in the South China Sea due to Chinese aggression.

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea, a body of water known to have untapped oil and natural gas reserves.

The Philippines is looking to conduct more joint patrols with the United States after the two countries executed military drills with Japan and Australia last month.

“During joint patrols with other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) claimants in the South China Sea, or with other friendly governments of Japan, Australia or even India, if China should take the offensive, such an aggressive and emboldened act could definitely escalate the maritime disputes,” Mr. Guinigundo said.

CHINA ODA
Interviewed in Manila on Wednesday, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo said the Philippines is still open to forging official development assistance (ODA) deals for government projects with China despite heightened tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.

“We also open with China, but late we have not received that many offers (for ODA projects) from China on this,” he said.

The Marcos government has withdrawn from loan negotiations with China for three major railway projects worth at least P228 billion amid worsening tensions over their sea dispute.

Last week, the Philippines and Japan signed loan agreements to equip the Philippine Coast with modern equipment and scholarships for Filipinos.

Manila and the Japan International Cooperation Agency signed loan deals worth ¥250 billion (P93 billion) for the construction of the Metro Manila Subway and the Dalton Pass East Alignment, which will link San Jose City in Nueva Ecija to Aritao in Nueva Vizcaya, both in northern Philippines.

FILIPINO TOP BRASS DENIES ‘NEW MODEL’
Meanwhile, former Vice Admiral and chief of the Philippine military’s Western Command Alberto B. Carlos on Wednesday denied striking a deal with a Chinese envoy or any foreign diplomat on a “new model” on handling the situation in the South China Sea.

At the Senate National Defense Committee hearing looking into an alleged wiretapped conversation and disinformation drive launched by China, Mr. Carlos said he only had a short “casual and informal” telephone conversation with a “Colonel Li” from the Chinese Embassy in Manila in January on how to ease tensions amid blocked resupply missions in Second Thomas Shoal, which Manila calls Ayungin.

“I did not forge any agreement at the level and magnitude that would bind our two countries for the long term and redefine foreign policy,” he said. “I have not compromised the country’s territorial integrity. I have not given up our sovereign rights and entitlements.”

The former commander also denied consenting to having their conversation recorded.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message from reporters seeking comment.

Beijing earlier threatened to release the transcript and recordings of a conversation supposedly between Mr. Carlos and a Chinese diplomat about a new model agreed upon over the shoal in which the Philippines would deploy fewer vessels in resupply missions to its troops stationed there.

Mr. Carlos said he would be willing to divulge his conversation with Colonel Li from the Chinese Embassy in a closed-door executive session with senators.

He added that the supposed embassy official reached out to him last Monday through text message, but he did not respond to it.