Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque assured that President Rodrigo Duterte will not give “even an inch” of national territory to any state including China.
This statement came after China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Li Jian accused the Philippines of committing “illegal provocative activities” by sending military aircraft close to the Spratly Islands.
“Consistent naman po ang ating Presidente (The President has always been consistent). He will not give even an inch of our national territory or sovereign rights to any other state,” Roque said in a press briefing.
“Hindi po magiging dahilan itong unresolved issue sa ating teritoryo bilang hadlang para isulong sa ating diplomatic bilateral relations with China iyong mga bagay na pupuwede namang isulong kagaya po ng kalakal at investments.”
[Our unresolved issues concerning our territory will not prevent us from pushing for such things as trade and investment, in our diplomatic bilateral relations with China.]
Despite the Palace’s disagreement with China’s position that the Philippines has infringed on its security and sovereignty, it respect that view nonetheless.
“Siguro po opinyon ng Tsina iyan. Pero tayo po, patuloy po tayong nagpapalipad ng mga supplies papunta po sa Kalayaan, at patuloy po tayong nagpapalipad or nagkakaroon ng overflights diyan po sa Bajo de Masinloc,” Roque said.
[Perhaps that’s China’s opinion. But we continue to send aircraft carrying supplies to Kalayaan, and we continue to have overflights over Bajo de Masinloc) and we maintain also that it’s part of our sovereignty or our sovereign rights.]
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday said it was the Chinese who are causing provocations in the disputed areas in the South China Sea and not the Philippines, claiming that the East Asian giant have illegally occupied some features within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“Illegal provocations? That area is within our EEZ. Their so-called historical rights over an area enclosed by their nine-line doesn’t exist except in their imaginations,” Lorenzana stressed.
“Our fishermen are within our EEZ and likewise our ships and planes conduct patrol sorties within our area,” he added. “They (China) are the ones who have been doing provocations by illegally occupying some features within our EEZ. Hence they have no right to claim they are enforcing their laws.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs lodged a diplomatic protest against China last week over the illegal confiscation of some Filipino fishermen’s equipment at the Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag in Filipino) by the Chinese Coast Guard in May.
