Duterte gov't on right track in China ties -- Legarda
Published Jun 3, 2018 03:17 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Loren Legarda on Sunday defended the government over criticisms of subservience to China saying it is only natural for the Duterte administration to exhaust all diplomatic means to resolve the maritime tension in the West Philippine Sea.
Senator Loren Legarda
(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) Legarda, who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, said it is unfair to compare President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign policy to that of the previous administrations which she noted also had experienced difficulties in dealing with China and finding solutions to the problems within the contested maritime territories. As far as she is concerned, Legarda said she believes the Duterte government is on the right track in keeping its communication lines with Beijing open. “Yes, I think we are doing all we can. Wala namang administration na naka solve dito (sa problemang ito). So we cannot expect this administration to solve this now, when the others in the past were also not able to solve it,” Legarda said in an interview over Radio DZBB. “Napaka-masalimuot ang isyu ng teritoryo. Hindi lang tayo ang claimant nation di ba? (Territory is a very thorny issue. We are not the only claimant nation right?) We don’t expect a two year-old administration to solve what in the past decades, the past administrations could not solve,” she said. “We must assert our sovereignty and our rights to our territorial integrity through talk and diplomacy,” she reiterated. As to why her committee has not yet initiated a Senate inquiry into matters related to China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea, Legarda said she could hold one even during the congressional break but hear only the resolutions that have been filed under her foreign relations panel. She said some of the Senate resolutions seeking an inquiry into China’s militarization in the West Philippine Sea have already been referred instead to the Senate committee on national defense and security headed by Senator Gregorio Honasan II. “Susuriin natin yung mga naka-file sa foreign relations committee, kasi yung iba naman naka-file sa defense committee. Sa foreign relations committee, we can look into it and we can have consultations and briefings and hearings during the break,” she said. “But I will do it not to inflame tension. Hindi dapat magpasiklab ng tension sa West Philippie Sea. Its important to study and use diplomacy—to stretch our patience—our diplomacy on the West Philippine Sea while upholding our sovereignty,” she stressed. With China as one of the country’s biggest trading partners, Legarda said it is necessary for the government to engage them in discussions in the areas of agriculture, trade and commerce. The senator said she agrees with the President’s contention that the Philippines cannot afford to go to war with China over the contested territories. “The President is the architect of all foreign policy. And he is right, why would we wage war (against China)? There are political tensions anywhere. We are just one of several claimant nations in the West Philippine Sea. “When we have overlapping boundaries with that of five other nations and we have a sixth country like China, which is our biggest trading partner, bakit natin gustong mag-gyera? So ibig sabihin, we need to exhaust all diplomatic means and uphold international treaties and conventions,” Legarda stressed. Legarda said she is also prepared to hold the hearings in executive session as public discussion can be detrimental to the country’s national security. “Of course, there are things that need to be held in abeyance, and should not be disclosed to the public while negotiations are still ongoing. Anything that would impact on national security should not be disclosed immediately,” she added. “As a former media practitioner, as a senator, and with a masters degree in national security, I balance all of these—the balance of transparency and the balance also of the responsibility of protecting our national security,” she stressed.
Senator Loren Legarda(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) Legarda, who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, said it is unfair to compare President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign policy to that of the previous administrations which she noted also had experienced difficulties in dealing with China and finding solutions to the problems within the contested maritime territories. As far as she is concerned, Legarda said she believes the Duterte government is on the right track in keeping its communication lines with Beijing open. “Yes, I think we are doing all we can. Wala namang administration na naka solve dito (sa problemang ito). So we cannot expect this administration to solve this now, when the others in the past were also not able to solve it,” Legarda said in an interview over Radio DZBB. “Napaka-masalimuot ang isyu ng teritoryo. Hindi lang tayo ang claimant nation di ba? (Territory is a very thorny issue. We are not the only claimant nation right?) We don’t expect a two year-old administration to solve what in the past decades, the past administrations could not solve,” she said. “We must assert our sovereignty and our rights to our territorial integrity through talk and diplomacy,” she reiterated. As to why her committee has not yet initiated a Senate inquiry into matters related to China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea, Legarda said she could hold one even during the congressional break but hear only the resolutions that have been filed under her foreign relations panel. She said some of the Senate resolutions seeking an inquiry into China’s militarization in the West Philippine Sea have already been referred instead to the Senate committee on national defense and security headed by Senator Gregorio Honasan II. “Susuriin natin yung mga naka-file sa foreign relations committee, kasi yung iba naman naka-file sa defense committee. Sa foreign relations committee, we can look into it and we can have consultations and briefings and hearings during the break,” she said. “But I will do it not to inflame tension. Hindi dapat magpasiklab ng tension sa West Philippie Sea. Its important to study and use diplomacy—to stretch our patience—our diplomacy on the West Philippine Sea while upholding our sovereignty,” she stressed. With China as one of the country’s biggest trading partners, Legarda said it is necessary for the government to engage them in discussions in the areas of agriculture, trade and commerce. The senator said she agrees with the President’s contention that the Philippines cannot afford to go to war with China over the contested territories. “The President is the architect of all foreign policy. And he is right, why would we wage war (against China)? There are political tensions anywhere. We are just one of several claimant nations in the West Philippine Sea. “When we have overlapping boundaries with that of five other nations and we have a sixth country like China, which is our biggest trading partner, bakit natin gustong mag-gyera? So ibig sabihin, we need to exhaust all diplomatic means and uphold international treaties and conventions,” Legarda stressed. Legarda said she is also prepared to hold the hearings in executive session as public discussion can be detrimental to the country’s national security. “Of course, there are things that need to be held in abeyance, and should not be disclosed to the public while negotiations are still ongoing. Anything that would impact on national security should not be disclosed immediately,” she added. “As a former media practitioner, as a senator, and with a masters degree in national security, I balance all of these—the balance of transparency and the balance also of the responsibility of protecting our national security,” she stressed.