Research group IBON said that Pres.
Duterte’s stance on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue, as expressed in his
fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), is not about avoiding war with
China, but is about avoiding offending the Chinese government and losing all
its promised funds.
Last July 22, Pres. Duterte highlighted the
possibility of China attacking the country if the government took a strong
stance on its claims in the disputed WPS. According to the president, “more and
better results can be reached in the privacy of a conference room than in a
squabble in public”.
IBON, however, said that the administration
is only using the possibility of war to conceal the agreements reached “in the
privacy of a conference room” between the Philippine and Chinese governments
which seem to be at the expense of the Filipino people’s interests.
IBON noted that while other claimants to
the disputed area, like Vietnam and Indonesia, are taking a more aggressive
stance to defend their claims, China has yet to declare war against these two
countries. The group said that the administration should see this as an
opportunity to foster unity between the Philippines and its other neighbors to
defend their respective claims against China.
But the government is not doing this, nor
is it asserting the July 2016 ruling of the international tribunal, the
Permanent Court of Arbitration, that was in favor of the Philippines. The
decision upheld the country’s rights
over the 200-nautical miles exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The
President instead has claimed to be proud of his friendship with China, IBON
said. Rather than defend his fellowmen, he has insulted Filipino fishermen by implying
that they should be thankful that Chinese Pres. Xi Jin Ping allowed them to
fish in the WPS. He also reduced the ramming and sinking of the Filipino
fishing boat Gem-Ver 1 by a Chinese ship in June to “a mere incident”.
IBON said that the reason for the Duterte administration
being overly accommodating is most likely due to its desire for Chinese financing. IBON estimates that the government is seeking as much as Php673.2
billion from China for its 75 flagship projects aside from Php204.7 billion
more for infrastructure and other projects – for a total of Php877.9 billion.
According
to the group, the terms of the loan agreements that the administration enters
into with China for its infrastructure drive are onerous. These include only
using China’s goods and services, including for payment of Chinese contractors
and even hiring of Chinese workers; stringent loan payment schedules; contracts
being explicitly governed and construed in accordance with the laws of China
and disputes having to be settled in the courts of China; and the Philippines waiving
its sovereign rights over its patrimonial assets in connection with any arbitration
proceeding. The last is synonymous with the collateralization of the country’s assets, like natural and
strategic resources.
IBON
said that instead of being concerned with stepping on China’s toes and losing
financing, the Duterte administration should implement a truly independent
foreign policy. Such a policy should defend and uphold Philippine sovereignty, ensure domestic development, and prioritize the
welfare of all Filipinos, said the group. ###
