Hontiveros on PH participation in ASEAN emergency summit: We have to help Myanmar mb.com.ph - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mb.com.ph Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published April 7, 2021, 11:40 AM
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday renewed her call for the Senate to look into the possible collaboration and collusion of some Filipino entities in the construction of China’s artificial islands and military installations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Sen. Risa Hontiveros
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO)
Hontiveros said it is imperative that the Upper Chamber investigates the issue as China brazenly takes over parts of the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“Sino ang nang-traydor sa mga Pilipino? May nagbenta ba ng mga teritoryo natin? (Who was the traitor among the Filipinos? Did somebody sell our territories?) We need to find out,” Hontiveros said in a statement on April 7.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO)
“The Philippines is not alone. The international community stands beside us in condemning China’s continued deceit and aggression. China better pack up and leave,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“The world is catching on to China’s gray zone smokescreen. How long will it keep using ‘civilian’ vessels to pursue military activities in our EEZ? A strategy based on lies and deception does not always make one sublime; sometimes, it also exposes one as lying,” she further said.
Hontiveros had heavily criticized the continued presence of Chinese vessels in the Julian Felipe Reef, which is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Sen. Risa Hontiveros(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement, Hontiveros said she is glad that her series of investigations on the “pastillas scam” has jolted the BI to take their roles as guardians of our borders more seriously. ‘’While the widespread corruption has made us more skeptical of the agency’s credibility, instances like this tell me that all is not lost,’’ Hontiveros said.
‘’Nonetheless, I remain vigilant. There are continued reports of officials in the bureau who are allegedly still in cahoots with Chinese nationals who illegally want to enter the country,’’ she added.
Hontiveros said some BI officers might continue to be an accomplice to the ‘mutated’ pastillas scam, in which each Chinese national pays P550,000 in bribe money, as NBI’s recent entrapment operation was inside the office of a BI official.
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday rejected a proposal to deploy military and police personnel to arrest individuals who breach health protocols after the alarming surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.