Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Tuesday, December 19 renewed his call for a cessation of political bickering and instead urged Filipinos to unite against China’s consistent aggression and bullying especially in the West Philippine Sea.

Ejercito made the appeal as he took note that those behind the relentless attacks against him on social media over his stand on the West Philippine Sea come from avid supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The senator, however, clarified he has nothing against the former president but believes his allies are being used by China for destabilization efforts. 

“If you are truly a Filipino, if you are truly a normal Filipino, you won’t be siding with China. We are already being bullied, they are trying to take over our territories, will you just let them do it?” Ejercito said in Filipino during a Kapihan sa Senado forum.

“What I can’t stomach is Filipinos will side with the bully and aggressor like China,” he said. 

“I was elected by the people to do what is right. Again, I will never backdown. Because I know that we are on the right position in fighting for our sovereignty and our country,” he stressed.

Ejercito said he is suspects that supporters of the former president are being used by China to cause internal trouble in the country to divert attention away from the West Philippine Sea. 

“I just want to be clear also, most of these people are influencers identified with the former administration. But ako, po, to be clear with President Duterte, we have no feud, I respect him…I was the one who supported his infrastructure projects, Build build build program. I believe in his programs. And we have been friends ever since he was a mayor and I was a mayor,” he said.

“So me and President Duterte are good. It’s just his former supporters—I was surprised how they became pro-China too much,” Ejercito observed.

“And I suspect that it’s part, and I’m hoping that they would realize, that they are being used for destabilization efforts,” the lawmaker stressed.

The deputy majority leader insisted that any destabilization or any adventurism will not be good because it will only cause political and economic instability.

But Ejercito said he believes former president Duterte himself is not involved in these destabilization plot against the Marcos administration.

“I don’t think it’s president Duterte who is behind it. It’s only them. I don’t know if they are voicing out their own opinion, or they are just doing their job. Well there are intel (intelligence) reports that they are being tapped by China and funded by China to cause trouble internally,” he disclosed. 

“That’s why I am against that because it’s not going to do our country good. Any destabilization, any adventurism, at this point will not be good. Because it will only cause political instability and economic intability. We will no longer progress,” he warned.