The Senate minority bloc on Wednesday, January 17 urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to be cautious over his statements on Taiwan reminding that the Philippines has been strongly adhering to a One China Policy. 

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said the country’s adherence to a One China policy has been observed by the government for the last 40 to 50 years, and thus, the need for the Philippines to be consistent to its own decision to adopt the policy. 

“Which means, we recognize the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) as the only so called China and the capital city is Beijing,” Pimentel said in an interview with Senate reporters. 

“We know the sensitivity of the issue, we know the history. Taiwan believes that it is not a province of the PRC and PRC believes that Taiwan is a province. So kung may One China policy tayo, we should be sensitive about the point of view or belief of China that we are recognizing …a renegade province which held its own election,” he said.

As far as he is concerned, Pimentel said he would have hoped President Marcos refrained from greeting the winner in the Taiwan presidential elections: “We could have refrained from doing so.”

“We are a sovereign country. The President can do what he did pero we do not believe in a vaccum. No one is an island, the community of nations na ito, ang kilos natin (our action) affects other nations. Some would be upset, let’s anticipate everything. Include it in our calcuations,” he said.

“Ulitin ko lang na (Let me repeat that) the Philippines adhere to the One China policy. Hindi yan imposition sa atin, inadapt natin yan, ang (It was not imposed on us, we adopted it, and the) official actions natin should match our pronouncement.

“Sometimes we make mistakes but we live with the implications, next time around iwasan na natin (let’s avoid making it),” he added.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier denounced President Marcos’ greetings to the winner of the Taiwan’s presidential elections, Lai Ching-te.

According to Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, Marcos’ remarks “seriously violated” the political commitments the Philippines made to China. 

Sen. Risa Hontiveros echoed Pimentel’s call and said that the Marcos administration should “get its act together.”

“The administration should get its act together. We cannot have the President, the chief architect of foreign policy, say one thing, while the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) says another,” Hontiveros said.

In any case, she said China has no business telling Filipinos what to say or not. 

“Wala silang karapatan pagmanduhan tayo gaya nang wala silang karapatan maglayag diyan sa West Philippine Sea (They have no right to impose on us the same way they have no right to sail in our West Philippine Sea),” she said.

Nevertheless, Hontiveros said she supports a review of this so-called policy.

“As I’ve called for before, we must review this so-called One China Policy. China has done far worse things in our territories compared to a congratulatory message to Taiwan,” she said.