Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun has backed Speaker Martin Romualdez's proposal to summon members of the Duterte Cabinet in its probe on the alleged "gentleman’s agreement" in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), saying it would give "the real big picture" of the controversial deal.
Khonghun explains why summoning Duterte Cabinet members to 'gentleman's agreement' probe is the right move
Apr 30, 2024 02:59 AM
At a glance
Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Facebook, MANILA BULLETIN)
Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun has backed Speaker Martin Romualdez's proposal to summon members of the Duterte Cabinet in its probe on the alleged "gentleman’s agreement" in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), saying it would give "the real big picture" of the controversial deal.
“We welcome this probe to get to the bottom of the issue. We want to sift the chaff from the grain, so to speak. Or in this case – the lies or propaganda peddled by many and the real score (or truth) behind it,” Khonghun, a leader of the so-called Young Guns bloc in the House, said in a statement on Tuesday, April 30.
“The investigation will give us a clearer picture, or the real big picture, of what really transpired because we only read the exchanges in the media. So, the congressional probe will give us a chance to hear it directly from the resource persons,” he said.
Khonghun, an assistant majority leader, is the author of House Resolution (HR) No. 1684. Read in plenary on Monday, the measure calls for an investigation on the supposed gentleman’s agreement between former president Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the WPS.
Following Monday's plenary session, Romualdez floated the possibility of inviting Cabinet officials of the previous government to attend the House probe on the supposed Duterte-Xi pact.
Khonghun said a probe is necessary to “get to the bottom” of the rather “confusing versions” of the issue.
He noted allegations that Duterte--by entering such deal--may have “bargained away our rights to our territory and exclusive economic zone (EEZ)” in the WPS, which is a very serious offense.
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“This is why we need to dig deeper into this, and leave no stone unturned. This is for the sake of the Filipino people especially our fishermen making a living in the area,” he said.
“We also want to know the extent of the supposed agreement. What makes China think it is binding on President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s administration, and what makes Beijing think they can enforce it without any treaty or official concurrence from the national government,” Khonghun added.
In his resolution, the administration lawmaker said “there is a necessity to look into such agreement to check if the same is true since it has been used as China’s justification of its harassment of Filipino resupply boats - including its use of water canons on them.”
“While the former president confirmed at a press conference last April 11 in Davao City, and its main goal was to avert armed confrontation between Filipinos and Chinese in the WPS, it only favors Beijing and compromises the Philippines’ national interest,” Khonghun argued.