Duterte: Retaking West Philippine Sea was never a campaign promise cnnphilippines.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnnphilippines.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published May 2, 2021, 11:14 AM
The Duterte administration’s position to blame the past Aquino administration for the problems in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) does not hold merit because the arbitral ruling was awarded during President Duterte’s time, the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo said on Sunday, May 2.
The arbitral ruling by The Hague in The Netherlands was awarded in July 2016 when the President already holds office.
VP Leni Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez (Barry Gutierrez Facebook page)
“So ang tanong: ano magagawa natin ngayon, di ba? Iyon ‘yun eh. At sa akin, hindi sagot iyong eh kasalanan niyan ng dati (The question is: what can we do now, right? That’s it. For me, blaming the past is not the answer),” Vice presidential spokesman Barry Gutierrez during Robredo’s weekly radio show.
Two opposition senators hit China over its latest remark on the the West Philippine Sea in which it called on Philippine security forces to stop its maritime exercises as it would "escalate disputes" in the area.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 23) - Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario maintains that standing up for our rights in the West Philippine Sea is not an act of war against China.
Del Rosario said that it s about time to put a stop to false claims that standing up for the nation s rights in the South China Sea is tantamount to a war against Beijing. We urge our people to reject this Chinese narrative of war because it is only intended to sow fear which is the trademark of a bully, Del Rosario said.
The former DFA chief that China itself will not wage a war against the Philippines due to such act s possible impact.
AFP pitches building PH structures in disputed waters, but no joint patrols in WPS yet with US
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 22) The country s military chief on Thursday floated the possibility of urgently constructing structures in parts of the West Philippine Sea being disputed by China after the East Asian giant failed to keep its word that it will maintain the status quo in the area.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said there has been a previous agreement that no claimant will build structures on the disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea, but China has clearly reneged when it proceeded with its massive construction there.