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Philippines
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Senators urge gov't to review PH policy with China after near-collision in West PH Sea
Philippines
National
Senators urge gov't to review PH policy with China after near-collision in West PH Sea
Senators urge gov't to review PH policy with China after near-collision in West PH Sea
Published Apr 28, 2023 06:43 am
Senators on Friday, April 28 crossed party lines to denounce China’s latest intimidation at the West Philippine Sea and call for a review of the country’s national policy towards Beijing.
“We must also seriously look into reviewing our national policy towards China. Inaaraw-araw na niya ang pambubully sa ating mga mamamayan. Kailangan may mga polisiya tayong magtitiyak ng tunay na pagdedepensa sa karapatan at kabuhayan nating mga Pilipino (He bullies our citizens every day. We need to have policies that will ensure the true defense of the rights and livelihood of us Filipinos),” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said in a statement.
Hontiveros’ statement comes after a Chinese coast guard ship reportedly cut off a Philippine patrol vessel carrying journalists in the disputed Spratly Islands causing a near-collision.
Hontiveros said she expects the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a diplomatic protest at once regarding the incident.
“This was just the latest in a continuous, unbroken, and apparently unrepentant string of incidents that China should be accountable for,” she said.
“I expect that the DFA will file a diplomatic protest at once. Simultaneously, Malacanang should condemn, in the strongest terms, China’s ceaseless intimidation, torment, and threats. The executive should not wait for an even worse incident in order to finally put its foot down and tell Beijing to cease and desist in this kind of aggressive action,” she reiterated.
“At this time, it’s only right to actively and boldly continue in the direction of building bigger alliances. A broader alliance is a better alliance. Let us urgently work on building this bigger coalition of countries who are against China’s misbehavior, who uphold our victory at The Hague, and who want to preserve peace and stability in the region,” she said.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III for his part, renewed his call for dialogues among claimant countries in the South China Sea (SCS) in order to prevent the tension from escalating.
“(It’s a) very unfortunate incident which all should endeavor to avoid a repeat. This is the reason why those claiming and using parts of the SCS and WPS must come up with some sort of a code of conduct,” Pimentel said.
“Otherwise, there will always be incidents like this where one party will appear to be a ‘Goliath’, because it is in reality a giant country, and be labeled as a bully,” he said.
“It is to the best interest of all parties to start behaving like civilized, respectful, and reasonable neighbors. Start dialogue. Make concrete gains, no matter how small,” Pimentel further appealed.
Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said he expects President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to raise the issue of China’s constant bullying in the region on his official visit to the United States this week.
“I wish our President godspeed on his official mission to the United States this week, and I fully support his endeavor to strengthen ties with our number one ally and trading partner, the United States,” Zubiri said also in a separate statement.
“In a time where there is so much tension in the region, our nation must look towards our friends who share the values of freedom and democracy as well as respect for each and every nation’s sovereignty,” the Senate chief added.
Zubiri said he fully supports the President’s advocacy of creating new partnerships and strengthening old ones with the international community of nations.
“We need to strengthen our economic ties with our treaty ally and ask American companies to invest in the Philippines, especially those leaving China and other countries with unstable democracies. It’s now time that the Philippines shines in the international stage,” the Senate leader stressed.
Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, for his part, urged the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to maximize their escape and evasion tactics next time.
“That is too much of bullying but what else can we do? Hundreds of diplomatic protests have been raised by our government but were just ignored by China,” Dela Rosa said in a separate statement.
“We can not afford to fire the first shot that would trigger a shooting war. My advice to our Coast Guard is to maximize their escape and evasion tactics and remember always that patience is a virtue,” he said.