Leyte 4th District Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez agreed that China is being the "biggest bully" to the Philippines with its incursions in the West Philippine Sea, but said the two countries should keep their cordial relationship.

In a television interview, Tuesday, June 1, Torres-Gomez maintained that China is still a "friend" to the Philippines, saying the country should just tap China's "good sense" to address the territorial dispute.

"China is a bully. China is the biggest bully but China is also a friend. And we all know that bully friend that we had in school, even as adults, we have bully friends," Torres-Gomez said in an ABS-CBN News Channel interview.

"So how do we deal with a bully? You do not ask the bully to fight especially if he has more arms, more muscle, he is bigger than you. What do you do with a bully? You appeal to his good sense," she added.

A partymate of President Duterte, the lawmaker also conceded that it will be difficult for the Philippines to take control of the WPS and demand China to leave the country's exclusive economic zone.

The 2016 United Nation's arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines cannot be enforced against China, she echoed.

"There are people saying na 'Dapat lumaban tayo (We should fight)'...Pero sa totoo lang mahirap din magtapang-tapang lang, ha (But in reality, it's also hard to act brave)," Torres-Gomez said.

"As a Filipino, you really want a classic David and Goliath story or a story where the hero wins against all odds, but we have to remember that we have to play the long game, so more than just fighting, it's fighting to win. And at this point, we really can't win," she continued.

Still, the congresswoman said the Philippines is right in asserting its sovereignty through diplomatic protest and other legal means.

She also disagreed with Duterte's dismissal of the arbitral ruling as a mere scrap of paper.

"It is a win, by any measure, because it is a record that we are in the right. It is an affirmation that we have every right to assert our position," Torres-Gomez said.

"It's not a piece paper," she pointed out. "I'm just saying that it's not a victory that's resounding because it did not achieve what we wanted, which is for China to leave." Asked on how the Philippines can move forward, she said: "We keep the cordial relationship...Unless we become a superpower also, unless we increase our economic status and capability, there is always the threat of being bullied."

During his pre-recorded speech last week, Duterte bared that Chinese President Xi Jinping warned him in a previous meeting that "there will be trouble" if the Philippines drills for oil in the WPS.