LABOR groups on Sunday said that claims made by President Duterte that the country did not lose any territory in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to China during his term is “misleading.”
This, as Malacañang blamed the encroachment of Chinese forces in the WPS on the negligence of the previous administration – a matter that former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario rebutted in an open letter sent Sunday to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
In a statement, Federation of Free Workers (FFW) agreed with the statement of Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and del Rosario that the Sandy Cay in Spratlys were occupied by Chinese forces in 2019 already, or during the term of Duterte.
The FFW noted that no less than Mayor Roberto del Mundo of Kalayaan, Palawan, confirmed the Chinese presence in the area.
“During the time of Duterte we lost Sandy Cay and other nearby [areas],” FFW president Sonny Matula told the BusinessMirror in an SMS.
Likewise, he noted the Chinese forces were also recently spotted in the Julian Felipe Reef.
“Our fishermen can no longer fish near Julian Felipe Reef, about 175 miles from Bataraza, Palawan, because of the Chinese navy and coast guards’ presence in the area, depriving hundreds of Filipinos of their livelihood,” Matula said.
Rather than trying to deflect the blame of losing WSP territories to China to the previous administration, the government should “exhaust all remedies under International law” as recommended by Carpio and Del Rosario, said FFW.
Their recommendations include raising the arbitral ruling in favor of the country at the United Nations General Assembly in September; bringing China to negotiation and mediation; and building strategic naval posts in the WPS.
Hardline stance
In a statement on Sunday, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the “hardline” recommendations of Carpio and Del Rosario are “wrong” and will only worsen the situation in the WPS and achieve nothing.
“History shows that countries who demand all-or-nothing policies often get nothing at all, or even end up provoking war,” Roque said.
“This is exactly what the President is avoiding. Because all-or-nothing policies are not only inconsistent with international law and international reality—they are dangerous and will not work,” he added.
He maintained that it is not the administration which is “misleading” the public, but Carpio and Del Rosario, by painting such a hardline stance as the better solution to the country’s territorial dispute with China.
He noted the President is employing a “careful, calculated, calibrated” policy in resolving matters through bilateral talks with China and multilateral fora like the United Nations.
“We must lay the basis for negotiation by building a relationship of mutual trust and confidence, and without engaging in name-calling and brinkmanship,” Roque said.
Del Rosario, however, on Sunday answered at least four key points raised by the Duterte administration against him and other Aquino-era officials.
In an open letter to Executive Secretary Medialdea, Del Rosario said he had to write the Palace official in order to “briefly respond to the allegations on the challenges surrounding the West Philippine Sea which were published this morning.”
READ FULL TEXT OF DEL ROSARIO LETTER TO MEDIALDEA BELOW:
Image courtesy of AP
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