Duterte won’t allow China to occupy Pag-asa Island
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Fri, 05 Apr 2019 07:50:02 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday declared that he would not allow China to occupy Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), amid the reported presence of Chinese vessels around the area.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the national assembly of prosecutors in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Duterte insisted that Pag-asa belonged to Filipinos.
“Pag-asa Island belongs to us. Is that yung base natin? China would never do that, I assure you, unless China wants a war with us. Hindi ako papayag kung pati yung Pag-asa i-occupy nila (I will not allow it if they occupy Pag-asa Island). No, of course not,” Duterte said during a chance interview.
The President, however, ruled out going to war with China over the territorial row, saying he will work for a “compromise” and won’t send government troops to their deaths.
“We go into a compromise for the time being, kasi hindi nga, if we go to war or there is a violent conflict, we would never win and I would suffer beyond imagination. I would just go there send my soldiers and policemen to be slaughtered. I am not prepared to do that,” he said when asked what he would do about the Chinese vessels surrounding the island.
Duterte admitted that it would be a suicide if the country would resort to the use of force against China.
“Kung gusto natin (If we want) we have two options — we drive them away by force, can we do that? Unless we want to commit suicide,” the President said.
“If you go to war, the first step of China would be to launch its missile in seven minutes it would arrive Manila before you can make a fourth of your journey to where you want to go,” he added.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said previously that it has monitored a surge in the number of Chinese vessels around Pag-asa Island this year.
The AFP Western Command said the vessels were part of the China maritime militia.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jinhua, however, claimed that the Chinese vessels seen near the island were not armed.
The Palace announced that the government has filed a diplomatic protest with China over the matter.
But Duterte said he was convinced that the presence of Chinese vessels in Pag-asa “has something to do with the greater game of geopolitics.”
“It is not directed to us. And I assure you that if they kill or arrest people there who are Filipinos, then that would be the time that we will have to decide on what to do,” he said.
Duterte acknowledged that China has “gobbled up” the whole of South China Sea on the belief that it owned the territory.
But so far, Duterte said China has not harmed any Filipino.
“Para sa kanila, kanila yan (For them, it’s theirs) so they felt free to roam around but they never harmed or arrested any Filipino,” Duterte said.
“We say it’s ours because of the economic zone that is given to us. Then they say its part of their territory that’s why there is a conflict not only with us but with the peripheral countries around China Sea,” he added.
Since assuming presidency, Duterte has sought to downplay Manila’s maritime dispute with Beijing in exchange for improved ties with the world’s second largest economy.
Duterte has also refused to flaunt the Philippines’ victory against China in a United Nations-backed arbitration court in 2016 which invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims to the waters.
But the President defended his approach, saying Manila cannot yet stand up to Beijing, whose military and economy are far superior. CATHERINE S. VALENTE
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