The Philippines president reaction regarding the reported China’s plan to build an environmental monitoring radar station on Scarborough (Panatag) shoal is that there is no way to stop them once it pushes through.
In a press conference prior to his departure to Myanmar, President Duterte said: “we cannot stop China from doing his thing.”
Duterte said, “Ano ba gawin ko, declare war against China? I can, but we all lose our military and policemen… and we are a destroyed nation and cannot assert a single sentence of any provision that we signed,” he added, referring to the arbitral ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration favoring the Philippines’ claims over Panatag Shoal, also called Scarborough and named by the Chinese as Huangyan.
“We can not stop China from doing those things. (Even the Americans could not stop them),”
He said ” Hindi nga nabawalan ang mga Amerikano.
“Even Americans (the United States, which has powerful military forces) could not stop them [China]” which has already built structures on the West Philippine sea (South China sea).
The President said he had told Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting, along with his Cabinet members, that “there will come a time” that he will invoke the PCA’s ruling.
“When? When they shall start to tinker with entitlements, tubig pa ngayon eh,” he said.
Duterte had said that he discussed Panatag Shoal with Xi during his state visit to China last year.
“And so what if they stop there. They admit that it is within the territory of the Philippines. That does not satisfy you?” he said.
“Ang right of passage niya everybody can. Eh ang Amerikano araw-araw dumadaan diyan eh, bakit mag-discriminate ako sa China,” he said.
He added: “We are not at war against China. We are not at war against America, and yet Americans ships come and go. Why should we not allow the Russians, they are also my friend. China is also our friend, and now we are improving on the economy because of the help of China. Bakit ka naman magwalanghiya para magdaan lang.” – JCE.
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Watch the video of President Rodrigo Duterte press conference prior to his departure to Myanmar.
