ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Erwin Tulfo seeks review of One-China Policy amid West Philippine Sea tension

Erwin Tulfo seeks review of One-China Policy amid West Philippine Sea tension

Published Aug 28, 2025 02:52 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Erwin Tulfo is urging the government to review its One-China Policy amid Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Senator Erwin Tulfo suggested that the Philippines should revisit its adherence to the One-China Policy in light of China’s continued aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Senator Erwin Tulfo (Senate PRIB photo)
Senator Erwin Tulfo (Senate PRIB photo)
“I think it’s high time that we [re]think our position if we must continue to observe this One-China Policy because of the fact na hindi naman po iginagalang tayo while we respect what they want,” Tulfo remarked during a Senate hearing.
“‘One-China Policy kami dito huwag kayong makialam (We have a One-China Policy don't meddle with us).’ But what about us? What about our rights, our rights at the West Philippine Sea? They can come in and out and wala tayong say to the point that our personnel, our Coast Guard and Navy personnel [are] being harassed, our fishermen driven away back to our shores,” he added.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said that the government uses several mechanisms to address these incidents, such as the bilateral consultative mechanism.
However, Senator Imee Marcos, who presided over ther hearing, noted that these diplomatic protests appear ineffective.
“It’s also important na yung mga protest na yun form part of the documentation in case whatever happens. And this was what was used during the arbitral proceedings at the Hague.”
She further stated that through the bilateral consultative mechanism, a provisional agreement was reached between the Philippines and China after the June 17, 2024 incident, when a Filipino soldier lost a finger following a clash with the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG).
“Since then the RORE, the rotational reprovisioning of necessities, wala pong incident if you notice,” Lazaro said.
Tulfo, however, reiterated his concern, and pointed out reports of Chinese military presence, including naval forces and armed vessels, in the contested waters.
He criticized the heavy reliance on diplomacy without adequate deterrence measures, and likened the situation to an uneven fight. Lazaro maintained that the government adheres to the President’s directive for the dispute to be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
Senator Marcos proposed holding a separate hearing on the issue.
Meanwhile, officials revealed that there were more than 169,000 documented overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Taiwan, with 84% working in factories. 
Senators Marcos, Tulfo, and Robin Padilla sought clarification on existing measures to ensure their safety in case of an emergency.
Lazaro assured that coordination with security agencies had been ongoing since early this year, while DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia stated that a crisis management structure was already in place and can be activated if needed.
Both DFA and DMW confirmed they have funds for potential repatriation, but the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) disclosed that it lacks an allocated budget for evacuation operations, though mechanisms for coordination with Taiwanese authorities exist.
“Wala nga lang po talagang budget na na-approve for that (There's just no budget approved for that). May mechanism under the contingency plan to enable us to directly coordinate with the officials there (Taiwan) in case need to evacuate,” said Cheloy Garafil, Chairperson of MECO’s Board of Directors.
The DFA requested an executive session to discuss the matter further.
Senator Marcos also raised questions about the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the Philippines and the United States (US) in relation to the One-China Policy.
“With the way the MDT is stated, there is no exception at all as long as one of the parties, Philippines or US is attacked in the Pacific, the MDT is triggered,” Marcos said.
"Kung One-China Policy, dapat di ka makikigulo sa domestic affairs, maliwanag yun. Pero dito sa MDT kung tamaan ang kasangga mo kailangan tulungan, papaano yun? (If it’s the One-China Policy, you shouldn’t interfere in domestic affairs, that’s clear. But under the MDT, if your ally is attacked, you need to help—so how does that work?)" she asked.
Lazaro deferred to the Department of National Defense (DND), which was not present at the hearing. Tulfo then moved to subpoena the DND for the next session, a motion that was approved by the committee. 
Senator Marcos said she will forward the request to Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero.

Related Tags

Erwin Tulfo One China Policy Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.