Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday, July 27 said she was not surprised to see Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano standing up to object to the Senate resolution that seeks to prod the government to raise the Philippines’ concerns on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Sen. Risa Hontiveros (Senate PRIB Photo)
“When I saw Sen. Cayetano stand up. I wasn’t completely surprised because this is not the first time that he did not support pressing the case against China,” Hontiveros said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart on Thursday, July 27.
“Napakasimple naman ng resolution namin (Our resolution is simple). It is expressing the sense of the Senate to urge the Philippine government through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to sponsor a resolution in the UNGA calling on China to respect and to comply with that Hague ruling and to cease and desist from her harassment of Philippine vessels in the WPS,” she stressed.
“Simpleng expression ng Senado, bilang isang (It’s just a simple expression of the Senate, as an) independent institution of what we feel the Executive may further do. At hindi po ito mutually sa (this is not mutually exclusive to) any and all other political and diplomatic moves that the government should take,” she further explained.
“But then again, given his history sort of easing the Philippine foot on the gas pedal vis-a-vis China, I have to confess I wasn't completely surprised,” the deputy minority leader said.
Deliberations on Senate Resolution No. 659, which Hontiveros sponsored on Wednesday night (July 26) got stalled after Cayetano called on his colleagues to come up with a “sound strategy” on China’s incursions in the WPS.
Cayetano also questioned the form of the document, which he said focused too much on China, when Vietnam and Malaysia—both allies—have a presence in several islands that are within the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Cayetano, likewise, urged his colleagues to tread carefully on the isue so as not to weaken the country in front of the international community.
Cayetano, who served as foreign affairs secretary under then President Rodrigo Duterte from 2017 to 2018, clarified that he is one with the Senate in its outrage against the aggressive tactics of China in the West Philippine Sea but raising the issue before the UNGA may weaken the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).
Heeding Cayetano’s call, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri deferred the deliberations and announced that the Upper Chamber will conduct an executive session on Monday, July 31 to tackle the issue together with the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Sought to comment, Zubiri said he is still confident that Senate will be able to pass the resolution eventually.
“As to whether we will retain the original wording, that remains to be seen. We will meet with the DFA, the Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, and the NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency) to hear their concerns,” Zubiri said.
“While the Senators differ on how to go about this, we are united in the desire to condemn the harassment and bullying of our fisherfolk and Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea and ultimately, to enforce the 2016 arbitral award,” he added.
“That said, the Senate is a deliberative body whose members are open to discussion and reasonable compromise. We are confident that we can come up with a wording of the resolution that will meet our common desire while addressing the concerns of all the members of the Senate,” the Senate leader said.