Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez claimed on Monday, Nov. 21 that the visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris sends a clear signal to China that the US (United States) is supporting the Philippines on the matter of maritime disputes at-sea.
“We welcome Vice President Kamala Harris. We thank the for supporting our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in accordance with the International Arbitral Award in July 2016,” he said.
He said before Harris arrived in Manila, a US official told the press that the visit would show the Biden administration’s “commitment to stand with our Philippine ally in upholding the rules-based international maritime order in the South China Sea, supporting maritime livelihoods and countering illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing".
This is consistent with the aspiration of President Marcos to push for a code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, including the WPS, which China should respect and follow, Rodriguez said.
Harris is the highest-ranking US official to visit the Philippines in recent memory. She is scheduled to travel to Palawan to meet with residents and local officials.
Before her, State Secretary Anthony Blinken was in Manila in August. Blinken said the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the US and the Philippines would kick in if a Philippine vessel or plane was attacked in the South China Sea.
“An armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels and aircraft will invoke the US mutual defense commitments under that treaty. The Philippines is an irreplaceable friend, partner and ally to the ,” he said.
Earlier, Rodriguez, chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, supported the call of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos for a COC in the South China Sea.
“A code of conduct is the way to go forward to peacefully and amicably resolve territorial disputes among countries in the region,” the veteran solon said.