'Gutsy response': House leader lauds PBBM's handling of China laser-pointing

"A gutsy response to gunboat diplomacy."

That's how House Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto described President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s move of summoning the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines so the Filipino leader could personally express his displeasure over the latest aggressive acts of Chinese vessels at Ayungin Shoal.

“To the world, the President’s move shone a spotlight on the correctness of our position, more powerful than the laser show that the Chinese boats put up to manifest their baseless claim,” Recto said in a statement Thursday, Feb. 16.

The "laser show" that Recto alluded to was the recent incident in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) wherein a Chinese vessel directed its military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship.

According to Recto, Marcos--who assumed the presidency in June 2022--deserves praise for standing up against Chinese bullying in the Philippines' own backyard. He said the act of summoning the Chinese envoy to Malacañang “is a gutsy response to gunboat diplomacy,” Recto said.

The fact that many countries followed suit in condemning China showed that the “President used a nonconfrontational tool that enlightens the civilized world better than lasers,” the former Senate President pro tempore said.

Recto added that Marcos' move “was worth more than the reams of diplomatic protests that DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) has been regularly lodging against China".

The latest, which denounces the recent "dangerous maneuvers" of the Chinese Coast Guard in Ayungin Shoal, was the 75th “note verbale” against China filed under the Marcos administration.

Last year, a total of 195 notes verbales was filed by DFA with the Chinese embassy.

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Recto said the Philippines should brace for a “protracted war of nerves” with China, which he claimed is "jealous of the government’s reembrace of America".

“They will be throwing tantrums, like a jilted lover who has lost face. They probably felt that they’ve lost a concubine,” Recto said.