Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Tuesday, July 20, took a swipe at President Duterte, saying that Filipinos should not vote for someone “who is good for China.”
This was in response to Duterte’s rant against the former Philippine top diplomat during his taped public address aired on Monday night.
“For this coming election, our humble view is our people should vote for the candidate who is good for our country- and not one who is good for China,” Del Rosario said in a statement.
Duterte is said to be mulling the possibility of running as vice president in the May 2022 elections.
This is not the first time the former Foreign Affairs chief criticized the President for his supposed friendly ties with China.
He has been outspoken about his displeasure of the Chief Executive’s handling of the maritime issues with Beijing since the victory from the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague on China’s nine-dash line claim was handed down on July 12, 2016.
That was a few weeks after Duterte took office.
The arbitral win was a product of Del Rosario’s and the late former President Benigno Aquino III’s stand against China’s incursions into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Last week, Del Rosario claimed that he received information from a reliable international entity about China’s “interference” into the 2016 national polls that catapulted Duterte to victory.
READ: Duterte blasts Del Rosario over China election interference claims
He said that Chinese officials were bragging about being able to influence the elections to ensure Duterte’s presidential win.
The Chief Executive slammed the allegations and boasted that he got 6.6 million more votes than Liberal Party candidate former Senator Mar Roxas, whom Duterte referred to as Del Rosario’s “friend.”
He also said that he’s investigating the former Foreign Affairs chief’s role in the loss of the Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal) in 2012 after the United States supposedly intervened in a bid to end the tensions.
READ: Duterte mulls lawsuit vs Del Rosario: 'You're guilty of treason'
China, however, reneged on the deal and took control of the shoal.
Duterte added that Del Rosario might even be guilty of treason, and questioned his citizenship because of his looks.