VP Duterte slammed for ‘silence’ amid injuries in latest Ayungin incident

MANILA, Philippines — West Philippine Sea advocates slammed Vice President Sara Duterte for her continued silence on the maritime issue hounding the western section of the country’s exclusive economic zone despite China Coast Guard’s (CCG) latest actions there which caused injuries to several naval personnel.

Rafaela David, chief convenor of the group that led civilian missions in the West Philippine Sea twice, said Duterte’s refusal to comment on the matter is opposite to her immediate statement about the serving of an arrest warrant against fugitive religious leader Apollo Quiboloy.

“Our kababayans were harmed by foreigners in our own territory, yet Vice President Sara Duterte remains quiet,” David, who is the concurrent Akbayan president, said in a statement on Tuesday. “What kind of leader is that?”

David continued: “When it’s about China’s acts of violence against our citizens in the West Philippine Sea, VP Sara Duterte has turned down her volume to zero. But when it comes to standing up for friends like Apollo Quiboloy, she flips the switch to full volume!”

Last June 10, some 100 policemen stormed the premises of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compounds in Davao City to serve the warrants of arrest against its leader. Quiboloy has been wanted for child abuse, sexual abuse, and qualified trafficking cases filed against him in Davao and Pasig courts.

Without naming names, Commodore Jay Tarriela, who is the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, also slammed politicians who were silent on CCG’s actions but immediately came to Quiboloy’s defense.

The latest actions of CCG on Monday led to a Philippine Navy sailor losing his thumb while several naval personnel also sustained minor injuries, according to military sources.

CCG rammed, towed, and even boarded Philippine ships, only deeming it as “control measures” in line with its claim of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling effectively dismissing its claims stemming from a case filed by Manila in 2013.

David furthermore called China’s actions “vile and barbaric.”

“The Chinese Coast Guard has descended to the depths of thuggery, acting as goons and a scourge of the West Philippine Sea,” she said. “Their reprehensible conduct lays bare their disregard for international law and human dignity.”

David then demanded the expulsion of China’s ambassador over the incident as well as the “surrender of its personnel responsible for causing serious harm.”

“China must be held accountable for this appalling transgression,” David said.