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The President of the Philippines has banned members of the government from making public statements on the South China Sea
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
Members of the Government of the Philippines can discuss territorial dispute issues with China only during closed meetings and must refrain from public statements on this subject," ordered President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Philippine leader committed members of his cabinet to silence on Beijing's territorial claims to the South China Sea area, which according to international law belongs to the Philippines.
The chiefs of the ministries received a ban on speaking on Monday, during the most recent installment of the dispute, during which strong statements were made several times. On Tuesday, the spokesman for the presidential palace declared that he "sees no tension" between China and the Philippines in strategic waters that both countries have been arguing over for years.
The main points of dispute are Spratly Islands (Spratle) and Scarborough shoal, lying within the Filipino exclusive economic zone, extending 200 nautical miles from the coast.
A dispute over strategic and resource-rich water broke out in March when approximately 200 Chinese boats and other units were detected in the Scarborough area. The Philippines stated that they were surrounded by militia officers, which China denied. In late April Filipino Polish Navy and Coast Guard began exercises in this area, against which the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested.
Members of the Philippine government, including the Secretary of Defense of the Dolphin Lorenzana and the head of diplomacy of Teodoro Locsin Jr., have spoken out strongly in recent weeks against the presence of Chinese units within the zone due to the Philippines.
On May 3, Loksin tweeted an appeal in which, using unspeakable language, he told China to get out of the Philippine waters. "China, friends, how to put this politely?" started an English-speaking tweet. "Wyp..." ("get the f... out") – he finished. The 72-year-old diplomat also compared the communist government to "an ugly retard". The next day, however, he apologized for his unparliamentary statement, which he explained with his "hot temper".
President Duterte, who has been seeking good relations with the Beijing authorities since taking office in 2016, stated in late April that although the Philippines have a debt to China for many reasons, including providing free vaccines against coronavirus, national interest cannot be the object of negotiations. As he added, Manila will not withdraw her ships from the waters that under international maritime law lie within the Filipino exclusive economic zone.
Critics, however, accuse Duterty of being overly submissive to China and contradictory statements about the South China Sea, the large area of which the Philippines refers to as the West Filipino Sea. On Tuesday, a more firm line was called for by a group of National Interest Ombudsmen (ANI) formed by retired military and police, while demanding a cross-party agreement on matters concerning national sovereignty. "We should take the side of ordinary Filipinos.
Our citizens cannot be exploited and unwittingly support Chinese narrative," wrote its members in a statement issued.
Beijing complains to 90% of the South China Sea area, including the waters under the applicable international law of the surrounding countries – outside the Philippines also Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. The Chinese built many artificial islands there, building military infrastructure on them.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague overturned China's territorial claims against the Philippines. However, the Beijing authorities ignored his ruling. Since taking office in the same year, President Rodrigo Duterte has tried to ease the dispute without citing a ruling in exchange for promises of multi-billion-dollar loans and investments.
Source: PAP
