Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Robert Ace Barbers has urged Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to "walk the talk" after making his stance against China's recent incursions in the Julian Felipe Reef known to Beijing.
"I commend Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for demanding and daring the Chinese Ambassador to honor his word that the ships were there to seek shelter during the bad weather and would leave as the weather improved. It has been weeks that the weather is good yet they are all still there," Barbers said in a statement on Monday, April 5.
Barbers assured Lorenzana that he has the support of like-minded lawmakers as the Philippines "need other patriotic Filipinos like him."
"I hope that the good Secretary is joined by the other members of the Cabinet in his stance against China, but Secretary Lorenzana should walk the talk," he pointed out.
"For instance, we already know and admitted that the ships are militia ships. Why then can we not send our naval ships to impose our presence and show our resolve to defend our territory?" he asked.
"This is already a creeping invasion, are we waiting for the naval armada of the enemy to be paraded before our eyes before we even try to lift a finger?” the solon added.
Lorenzana earlier criticized the month-long presence of dozens of Chinese vessels at the reef and accused China of occupying major areas in the West Philippine Sea.
On Saturday, April 3, Lorenzana refused to believe Chinese authorities claim that the vessels moored in the Julian Felipe Reef were fishing boats that had taken shelter in the area due to bad weather and told them to "get out of there."
Barbers echoed the defense official's stance, saying China's claim of ownership over the Julian Felipe Reef, which is part of the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and the rest of the maritime assets in the West Philippine Sea is "a grave insult, revolting and sickening."
“For hundreds of years China never laid claim on these territories within the West Philippine Sea which are part of our Exclusive Economic Zone and recognized by international bodies and many countries," he lamented.
"Suddenly and just recently, it was like magic that the entire West Philippine Sea became theirs. This method or process of annexation should never be countenanced, not by any self-respecting Philippine government nor any sovereign nation and international body for that matter," the lawmaker pointed out.
The Philippine government, he added, should not have allowed "a single pail of concrete or a piece of nail to touch our sacred land."
"Now that they have built complete concrete structures and encircled our territory with their militia ships, we should not and cannot simply keep quiet and allow a creeping invasion to happen right under our noses," Barbers said.
" We owe it to our countrymen who made the ultimate sacrifice, for us to know the value of freedom," he added.
He said China should realize that land in the country does not come cheap and is not for sale nor trade: "Neither are we ceding any portion of our territory in exchange for anything or for fear of being bullied any further. This is not the Treaty of Paris nor the Opium War. The blood spilt by our forefathers is priceless."
Barbers also urged Filipinos to "train the guns" on China through social media, boycotting their exports and their goods, similar to what they did to the Western goods in their malls and stores.
"They do not stand a chance against us. The world has seen many times the bravery of the Filipino," he further said.