'Look in the mirror first’: Senators slam China’s remarks on new EDCA sites     

Some senators on Monday, March 13 took offense at the remarks made by the Chinese Embassy in Manila warning the Philippines against opening up additional sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States (US) government. 
 
The Chinese embassy questioned Washington’s plan to strengthen its military alliance with Manila through the 2014 pact by setting up four additional locations or sites saying it will harm the Philippines and drag it into the “Taiwan question.”
 
“Isn’t what China is doing on Taiwan and the West Philippine Sea also considered ‘undermining the stability of the region’?” Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero pointed out. 
 
Bago nila pansinin ang dumi sa mata natin, dapat manalamin muna sila… (Before they pay attention to the dirt in our eyes, they should look at the mirror first),” Escudero further said. 
 
Sen. Risa Hontiveros agreed with Escudero, saying perhaps “China should look into the mirror before casting a stone.”
 
“The Philippines is a sovereign country. We get to determine what is best for our national interest; not China, not the US, not any other foreign country,” Hontiveros said in a separate statement.
 
“In fact, the serious harm and endangerment that has been inflicted so far has been by China in the West Philippine Sea. This is documented and undisputed. Perhaps China should look in the mirror before casting a stone,” she pointed out.
 
“Additionally, our country has no territorial interests in Taiwan or in the Greater South China Sea, outside of the West Philippine Sea, and unlike China, we do not intend to force other countries to surrender territories that are clearly not ours. We stand in solidarity with Taiwan, and will continue to do so by diplomatic and political means,” the deputy minority leader further stressed.
 
Hontiveros reiterated that the South China Sea involves more than China and the US, and “the disputes in these waters shouldn’t be settled by only two countries.”
 
“This is a region that is crucial to the stability of the entire world, and so the international community must band together to preserve stability, maintain the existing rules-based order, and uphold peace,” she pointed out. 
 
For his part, Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said China’s misgivings over the designation of the four new EDCA sites are inevitable due to the rising tension between the Chinese government and the US.
 
But in agreeing to expand the EDCA locations, Estrada pointed out President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. himself said that he does not want the issue to cause tension in the South China Sea or consider the Philippine government’s move as an act of aggression or anything that would be seen as provocative to anyone.
 
“We have a historical relationship with America. Apart from being their friend, we have a mutual defense treaty with them. Our Balikatan exercises are only exercises for the defense of the country and not for the invasion of China,” Estrada pointed out.
 
“We are not waging a war against China. In fact, China is our trade partner. It is in our best interest to preserve and safeguard peace, and promote stability and security with the help of our neighbors in Southeast Asia,” he added.
 
“Any confrontation between two major powers could be devastating for the world economy. We remain committed to keeping peace and prosperity in the region,” Estrada pointed out. 
 
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, for his part, said China should first show sincerity in resolving the conflict in the West Philippine Sea and start acting on the numerous protests and note verbale the government has filed against them. 
 
“If they want us to trust them, they have to respect our sovereignty, our territorial integrity,” Ejercito said, adding: “I would agree that those countries, especially ASEAN nations, that have territorial disputes with China should band together.”
 
Ejercito said the Philippines, nevertheless, should exhaust all diplomatic means to assert the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. That ruling invalidated Beijing’s nine-dash line claim that covers nearly the entire South China Sea. 
 
“We have to have an alliance with different claimant countries, and probably with Japan as well, so there could be freedom of navigation which is very important for the world economy,” he said.