While admitting that her office has no official role in the country’s dealing with China, Vice President Leni Robredo pushed for a multilateral approach in resolving the maritime dispute with the Asian giant.
During a recent online public policy forum hosted by the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Robredo said that she has always advocated for a multilateral approach in resolving the West Philippine Sea (WPS) territorial issues.
“For many different reasons. For one, I feel like a bilateral approach would not benefit the Philippines because again, we will start not on equal footing and I guess, it’s one of the most important things when you’re doing bilateral talks,” Robredo said.
The arbitration case filed by the previous Aquino administration in 2012 is one example of a multilateral approach, with the country bringing the case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague.
The Court handed down the victory to the Philippines in July 2016, a few weeks after President Duterte took office.
“And I feel like that victory should have been capitalized in asking for support from other countries who are, you know, who have similar claims or are similarly situated or have similar issues with China,” Robredo said.
“The fact that we had a significant victory as far as the arbitration case is concerned, I feel, would be as significant come-on to solicit the support of many countries like Vietnam, like Malaysia, and other neighboring countries,” she added.
China’s increasingly aggressive incursions in the West Philippine Sea are a concern for many countries in the Southeast Asian region, as well as in the West where the United States has stressed the importance of freedom of navigation.
Many experts see the region as a potential flashpoint for an armed conflict between China and the West. Duterte has used this argument to say that the Philippines cannot afford to go to war despite repeated calls to simply raise the issue of the arbitral win before the United Nations.
Robredo lamented that she never had any role in the policy-making surrounding the China issue.
“Because I’m really—because of the political situation, I have really been sidelined from Day One. Meaning to say, I don’t sit, I’m not invited in any of the policy discussions of government. Just like your country, most of the time I’m a mere spectator,” she said.
“So if you ask, do we have a voice as far as policy-making is concerned with our relations with China, my answer is officially none. So the only thing that we can do is express how we feel about the issues, advocate for again a multilateral approach in solving things,” Robredo added.
To come up with her suggestions, the vice president said she does briefings and talks to experts to “help us craft policies that we want to push.”
Robredo was previously part of the Duterte administration as housing czar until early December 2016 when she resigned from her post after being told “to desist from attending all Cabinet meeting” for her criticisms of some of its policies.