Manila 1st district Rep. Ernix Dionisio said Filipinos are expected be pro-Philippines after impeached Vice President Sara Duterte claimed of not favoring any country.

Dionisio on Thursday, June 26, told Duterte “You should be doing whatever it takes to serve the interest of the Filipino people and of the country.”

This, as the lady official questioned President Marcos’ strong stand against China, particularly in defending the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Duterte earlier said she has been for long tagged by the administration as “pro-China, considering her silence on the WPS row.

But the Vice President says she is “not pro any country at all,” and that she only wants to develop and maintain good relations with all countries.

“I believe, wala namang masama doon (there's nothing wrong with that), that’s exactly what President Bongbing Marcos is doing,” Dionisio said in a press conference.

“But at some point, when there’s an aggressor country, na ginigipit ang karapatan ng isang bansa, can you simply say na dapat maging magkaibigan tayo (that is harassing the rights of another country, can you simply say they should still be friends)?” he added.

The lawmaker from the country’s capital believes there is a difference between diplomacy and defending sovereignty.

“There are fights that need fighting. We have to draw the line,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said Filipinos are “not expecting aggressive rhetoric” from Duterte.

They only want a “consistent position and clarity” on the issues of the WPS, he said.

“Yung issue ng (The issue on) [WPS], it’s not simply a diplomatic issue. It also covers the issue of sovereignty and national integrity,” Adiong said.

“Yung pananahimik po ng bawat opisyal ng ating bansa ay nakakadagdag sa naratiba ng aggressor (The silence of each Filipino official just adds to the narrative of the aggressor), which in this case is China,” he added.