Leyte 4th District Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez on Monday, May 31, appealed for sobriety in public discussions concerning the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid reported calls for government to take a more aggressive posture in dealing with the continued incursion of Chinese military vessels in the contested territory.
Torres-Gomez, a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, appealed to Filipinos to also consider the economic concerns of the country before prodding government to take a stronger stance on the issue.
The lawmaker said people should consider the “economic repercussions” of being aggressive instead of allowing calmness and diplomacy to take over.
She said people should at the same time look at the broader picture if the country continues to agitate, and even anger, China.
“There are economic repercussions if we continue to insist that China give in to our demand for them to get off our waters. Let us not forget that China is the Philippines’ biggest export and import partner,” she said.
She noted that in March 2021 alone, the Philippines exported $1.8 billion and imported $1.2 billion to and from China. “Our economic ties are both our strength and vulnerability. We are not even talking about loans or vaccines,” she added.
She likewise recalled that in 2012 amid the stand-off in the Scarborough Shoal, the country experienced China’s economic backlash when it refused banana exports from the Philippines. The move resulted in the loss of $34 million in revenues, which badly hurt the agriculture sector, particularly banana farmers and plantation workers.
“If in the distant likelihood that we succeed in driving away China’s military vessels out of our EEZ and the WPS, are we prepared to face the economic counterattack that China is likely to use to get back at us? Is our economy ready for the backlash, especially amid the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our fiscal standing?” asked Torres-Gomez, chairperson of the House Committee on Disaster Resilience.
“The WPS is more complex than just presenting a legal award from an international body. The question is: How much more aggressive must our government be? In this David vs. Goliath situation, things are far from simplistic. For those who are quick to say that aggression is not necessarily an invitation to war, the truth is China does not have to fire a single shot to hurt us,” she noted.
The lawmaker suggested that the government appeal for status quo in the region even as China continued to ignore Philippines numerous appeals to respect the latter's territory, all made through diplomatic channels. “Let us appeal to China and our neighbor countries to stand down and momentarily set aside our respective claims on the WPS. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to batter all of us. Let us give each other the space and time to address the global health crisis first. Let us give each other time to heal,” Torres-Gomez said.