Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday ordered his department to “fire” another round of diplomatic protest against China over reports that 240 Chinese vessels are “swarming” in various reefs and islands within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Apparently caught unaware of the ongoing situation and the source of the news report, Locsin also ranted against the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) for “leaking” the statement to the media.
“I haven’t heard anything from the f_____g NTF-WPS but I’ll take ABS-CBN News’s word for it. Changing my policy of acting only on NTF requests. @DFAPHL fire a diplomatic protest now,” the country’s top diplomat said in a tweet.
Locsin has previously stated in his tweets that he will never rely on news reports as the basis for his actions or reactions, especially if it is coming from the local media.
The NTF-WPS, on Tuesday night, issued a statement denouncing the continuous swarming of over 240 Chinese ships composed of “Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and maritime militia” in the West Philippine Sea.
“The Philippine government reiterates its demand upon China to withdraw all its vessels from the Municipality of Kalayaan and the Philippine EEZ,” the NTF-WPS said.
Locsin was obviously infuriated as to why he appeared to be the last man to know regarding the situation in the West Philippine Sea as he used a metaphor of the “leaky roofs” to criticize the NTF-WPS.
“I guess all NTFs are focused on stopping the Marxist indoctrination of Lumad kids in ramshackle classrooms with leaky roofs. It’s not the goddamned turgid, boring Marxist prose but the fucking leaky roofs,” he said.
Created in March 2016, the NTF-WPS is chaired by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and the DFA maintains a seat as a member of the task force along with all key departments of the national government.
On Monday, the DFA summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian informing him of the Philippine government’s displeasure over the continued presence of Chinese vessels around Julian Felipe Reef.
DFA Undersecretary Elizabeth Buensuceso told the top Chinese diplomat that the July 2016 Award in the South China Sea Arbitration ruled that Beijing’s claims to historic rights or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction that exceed the geographic and substantive limits of maritime entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) are “without lawful effect.”