Duterte admin must be held liable for ‘compromising’ West PH Sea – group

Former President Rodrigo Duterte (right) and President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. (left). | PHOTOS: Official Facebook pages of Bongbong Marcos and Rody Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration should be made accountable for allegedly compromising the country’s “territorial integrity [and] security in the West Philippine Sea.”
The Atin Ito Coalition, a civilian-led supply mission in the West Philippine Sea, issued this appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who is set to deliver his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 22.
Group co-convenor Rafaela David said Marcos should discuss this matter in his Sona.
“We want to make sure na itong Sona, na dahil we are recognizing na mangyayari ito first time after the collapse ng Uniteam, mapasigurado ring mapanagot ‘yong nakaraang administrasyon in compromising ‘yong ating territorial integrity, security in the West Philippine Sea,” David said in an interview with Teleradyo.
(We want to make sure that in this Sona, since we are recognizing that this will happen for the first time after the collapse of Uniteam, it would be ascertained that the previous administration will be held accountable for compromising our territorial integrity, and security in the West Philippine Sea.)
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: A sordid, spurious deal
Article continues after this advertisementUniteam is the name of the Marcos-Duterte alliance in the 2022 elections. But the partnership seemed broken now as Vice President Sara Duterte resigned from her Cabinet posts in the Marcos administration last June.
In late March this year, reports revealed that Marcos’ predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, allegedly forged a “gentleman’s agreement’ with Chinese President Xi Jinping “to maintain the status quo” at the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
According to ex-President Duterte’s former spokesperson Harry Roque, the verbal agreement is “non-binding” and cannot be applied to the term of President Marcos Jr.
In April, Marcos asked Duterte to explain the “secret deal” with China which coast guard continued to show hostile behaviors toward Filipino troops and vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
READ: Marcos to Duterte: Explain agreement with China on West Philippine Sea
During his term, Duterte regarded the July 2016 arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines’ case against China over the West Philippine Sea as “meaningless.” Although he remarked in May 2021 that the Philippines would not withdraw its assets from the disputed waters, he stressed that he did not want to fight China over the matter due to “debt of gratitude.”
West Philippine Sea: International solidarity, support critical
In the same interview on Monday, the Atin Ito Coalition leader emphasized the importance of international solidarity and support to the Philippines’ efforts to defend its territorial waters.
David hoped Marcos will underscore this point in his third Sona.
“Isang audience natin ay ‘yung buong mundo na hopefully his Sona rallies international community around our victory,” she said.
(Our audience is the whole world, hopefully his Sona rallies international community around our victory.)
Various countries such as the United States, Japan, and Australia have previously expressed their support to the Philippines amid the maritime row. They also recognized the Philippines’ arbitral case triumph.
David then called on the government to support their initiatives to defend the west Philippine Sea.
“‘Yong gusto nating makitang suporta ay ‘yong suporta ng gobyerno in efforts to civilianize the West Philippine Sea katulad ng ginawa natin sa Atin Ito kung saan ordinaryong mamamayan ang nasa forefront in claiming our rights lalo na po ang ating mangingisda na naninigurado na tayo ang nakaka-enjoy sa ating sovereign rights in the area,” she pointed out.
(What we want to see is the support of the government in efforts to civilianize the West Philippine Sea like what we did in Atin Ito where ordinary citizens were at the forefront to claim our rights, especially our fishermen who wants to be sure that we would enjoy our sovereign rights in the area.)
For comprehensive coverage, in-depth analysis, visit our special page for West Philippine Sea updates. Stay informed with articles, videos, and expert opinions.