MANILA, Philippines – Dapat ay doblehin ng Pilipinas ang hakbang nito laban sa pambubully ng China sa West Philippine Sea.
Ito ang tugon nina Representatives Rodge Gutierrez ng 1-Rider partylist at House Assistant Minority Leader Zia Adiong ng Lanao del Sur sa pinakahuling insidente ng pag-atake ng China gamit ang water cannon sa barko ng Philippine Coast Guard.
“Kawawa po tayo [sa nangyari]. Nakakagalit. This is why we should double down on what the President (Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.) is doing. Kinakawawa po tayo. To find out that this happened again, just when we are talking about measures that we are to take….it highlights the importance of what the President is doing,” ani
Gutierrez, isang abogado at miyembro ng House special panel on the West Philippine Sea.
Ang tinutukoy ni Gutierrez ay ang paglahok ni Marcos sa
Trilateral Leaders Summit sa Washington kasama sina US President Joe Biden, at Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kung saan nangako ang mga ito ng mapayapa at ligtas na Indo-Pacific.
Sa pagpupulong, sinabi ni Marcos na ang cooperation agreement sa pagitan ng Pilipinas, US at Japan “will change the dynamic in the South China Sea and the region.”
“Are we going to give in to intimidation? I think those are the questions that we have to remember on (the) West Philippine Sea. I can speak on behalf of everyone, we condemn this incident, and we condemn the narrative of China,” ani Gutierrez.
“We will not stand for this. And you can be rest assured that here in Congress, we will be taking this seriously,” dagdag niya.
Para naman kay Adiong, hindi dapat pinapalampas ang pambubully ng China, lalo na’t ibinasura na rin ng Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ang nine-dash claim ng China sa buong South China Sea.
Sa kaparehong desisyon ay tinukoy ang Scarborough Shoal bilang isang common fishing ground.
“This bullying tactic [of China]…a strategy like that should be countered with a strong opposition and the President has taken that. The President’s position is that nobody should encroach on anybody’s territory and he does not want to encroach on the territory of any other country. We are merely protecting ours. And our claims are not random or baseless. This is supported by a court decision and the UNCLOS,” ayon kay Adiong, vice chairperson ng House national defense and security panel.
“They (China) want to portray to the whole world that they’re a superpower and that’s why they can step on us anytime they want,” dagdag ni Adiong.
“We should not have a defeatist attitude. We should stand up for what is right, and the President is standing on a very legitimate position. We need to support him on that,” pagpapatuloy niya.
Nitong Martes, Abril 30, iniulat ng Chinese media na pinatalsik ng CCG ang barko ng PCG at isa pang barko dahil sa pagpasok umano sa teritoryo ng China.
“Philippine ships intruded without China’s permission and the Chinese coast guard took necessary measures to drive them away,” pahayag ni Chinese ministry spokesperson Lin Jin. RNT/JGC
