The Marcos administration can approach former president Rodrigo Duterte as a backchannel negotiator for the Philippines to resolve the heightening tensions in the West Philippines Sea.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (MB file photo)
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who was the foreign affairs secretary during the Duterte administration, broached this idea as the Senate entered into an executive session to discuss the Senate Resolution No. 659 filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, together with members of the National Task Force on the West Philippines Sea (NTF-WPS), top officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Also invited to the closed-door meeting were DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo, AFP Chief Romeo Saturnino Brawner Jr., and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año.
Senators together with DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo, AFP Chief Romeo Brawner Jr., and Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año during the closed-door meeting on Monday, July 31, 2023. (Photo courtesy of O/S Joel Villanueva)
“There’s no doubt that former President Duterte is the best representative of the country in talking to the Chinese government because of his relationship with President Xi (Jinping) and because of his good and bad experiences during his term,” Cayetano told reporters in an ambush interview.
The ex-president had earlier met China's head of state in Beijing. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he was aware of Duterte's meeting with Xi which came at the heels of the filing of Senate Resolution No. 659.
“But having said that, in back channeling, iba yung araw-araw na (it’s different when it’s daily) negotiations, comfort and trust of the President. I do know that may trust si PBBM kay President Duterte (I do know that President Marcos fully trusts President Duterte). But iba yung day-to-day negotiations (But conducting day-to-day negotations is different),” he pointed out.
“But if ever we need someone who can go to the highest levels of the Chinese government, that the Chinese government trusts, and that the Filipinos trust, eh si President Duterte yun (then that’s President Duterte),” he said.
“So again, we have to come out with a strategy that is comprehensive strategy that will work in the short term and the long term,” Cayetano stressed.
As former foreign affairs chief, Cayetano said an “aggressive negotiations” is a better strategy than “internationalizing” the country’s problems on the WPS, with closed-door diplomacy having been proven to be effective not only in protecting the country’s security but also its economic interests in the disputed territory.
Cayetano also said a “microphone diplomacy”—which has been the Philippines’ strategy for a long time—would not work, and in fact resulted in the Filipinos’ loss of freedom in conducting fishing activities in the WPS in the past.
Therefore, the senator said, the government should tread carefully on the issue: “Let’s not burn the house down.”
“If the President thinks there’s no other way, that’s a different story,” he said.
However, Hontiveros countered Cayetano’s proposition, asserting that “now is the time” to bring the WPS issue to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), given that more nations have expressed solidarity with the Philippines’ 2016 Arbitral Award.
“More and more nations are recognizing our legitimate rights in the West Philippine Sea, so why not seize this opportunity now? Government cannot do nothing,” Hontiveros pointed out.
“Araw-araw ang pambabastos ng Tsina sa ating karagatan at sa ating mga mamamayan. Ipakita naman ng gubyerno na kinakampihan natin ang Pilipino, hindi ang Tsina (China’s bullying and harassment in our seas and our people are happening on a daily basis. The government should at least show the people that Filipinos are being defended, not China),” she said.
Hontiveros reiterated she is willing to accept amendments to the resolution, but it should still urge the Executive Department to “exhaust all diplomatic means at our disposal, specifically bringing the issue to a larger international body, including the UNGA.”
“Dapat maliwanag na may gagawing aksyon (It should be clear there should be action). We should not yield to China’s threats and intimidation. Bakit ngayon pa tayo matatakot lumaban kung napakarami na tayong kakampi (Why should we be afraid to fight when we have so many allies),” the senator asked.
She pointed out that the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the 16 member-states of the European Union, and India, among others have expressed and reaffirmed their support for the arbitral ruling.
“When a weaker state is pushed into a corner by a stronger state, it is only sensible that the weaker state build and mobilize the widest international consensus possible,” Hontiveros reiterated.
“A UNGA resolution could complement our beautiful victory at the Hague, which is complete in and of itself. Papalakasin lang niya ang ating nauna nang panalo (It will strengthen our initial victory). We cannot delay pursuing any and all options. Buhay at hanapbuhay ng mga Pilipino ang nakataya dito (the lives and livelihood of the Filipino people are at stake here),” the opposition lawmaker emphasized.