Former president and Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday said she made no promised to the Chinese government to remove the military ship BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal.

“I have been asked to comment on claims that the Philippine government had promised China to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal. I will categorically state three facts. First, I never made such as a promise to China or any other country,” she said in a statement.

Arroyo added that she never authorized any government officials to promise China that the military ship would be towed away.

The former president said that she only knew about the commitment just recently in the news.

Arroyo noted that this will be the last time she will comment on the issue.

“Beyond this, I will not make any further comment, in order to allow our foreign affairs officials to deal with it with a minimum of distraction,” she said.

Earlier this month, journalist and former Presidential Spokesperson Robert 'Bobby' Tiglao wrote a column for the newspaper Manila Times where he claimed that it was former President Joseph 'Erap' Estrada who first pledged to remove the BRP Sierra Madre in 1999.

But Erap’s sons, Senator Joseph Victor 'JV' Ejercito and Senator Jinggoy Estrada immediately debunked the claim.

Following the tension between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) in the West Philippines, China's Foreign Ministry claimed that the country promised several times to tow away the BRP Sierra Madre that has been stationed in Ayungin Shoal since 1999.

China then demanded the immediate removal of the military ship.

President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has already spoken up and asserted that the agreement between China and the Philippines does not exist.