Leni Robredo

Robredo laments Duterte admin’s ‘cowardice’ in defending West PH Sea vs China

Mara Cepeda

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Robredo laments Duterte admin’s ‘cowardice’ in defending West PH Sea vs China

DEFENDING THE NATION. Vice President Leni Robredo delivers a speech on June 11, 2018, urging the Duterte government to assert the country's rights over the West Philippine Sea.

Office of the Vice President

Vice President Leni Robredo says the Philippines allowed its alliances with other countries to erode 'while those who bully their way into our waters have been treated with deference, and at times, subservience'

Vice President Leni Robredo criticized the failure of President Rodrigo Duterte’s government to defend Manila’s historic tribunal victory against China over the West Philippine Sea.

Robredo lamented on Monday, July 12, the “missed opportunities” over the West Philippine Sea as the country commemorated the fifth anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 ruling that struck down Beijing’s expansive claim over the South China Sea.

The Vice President hopes that despite the “cowardice and neglect” of the Duterte administration, Filipinos would once again find dignity and national pride in the West Philippine Sea. 

“On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague enshrined in international law the validity of our claims in the West Philippine Sea. Since then, national leadership has yet to fully flex the ruling as an instrument to pursue our national interests, failing to invoke it in strong enough terms in the forums that matter most,” the Philippine opposition leader said in a statement.

Robredo has long been criticizing Duterte for his defeatist position on China’s continued militarization of the West Philippine Sea – a part of the South China Sea that belongs to the Philippines, but which Beijing is falsely claiming as its own. The Vice President once said China’s presence in Philippine waters is the “most serious external threat” since World War II.

On Monday, Robredo said Filipino fisherfolk are still unable to enter maritime areas where they are supposed to be free to fish

She also said the Philippines allowed its alliances with other countries to erode “while those who bully their way into our waters have been treated with deference, and at times, subservience.”

Must Read

Duterte keeps Filipinos under threat in West Philippine Sea

Duterte keeps Filipinos under threat in West Philippine Sea

For Robredo, the tribunal’s decision on the Philippine case against China is now a “definitive part of international law.”

“It cannot be erased from the history books, and cannot be denied despite the unending lies spewed forth by a formidable machinery of disinformation,” said the Vice President. 

She then told Filipinos that the commemoration of the Philippines’ tribunal victory against China should remind and challenge them to fight for their sovereignty. 

“Today’s commemoration is a reminder, a challenge, and a promise: That if only we can remember, if only we can unite, if only we can rediscover our spirit and once again stand for what is right – we will find, beneath the rubble of cowardice and neglect, our courage, our dignity, and our national pride,” said Robredo. 

Duterte has been downplaying the arbitral victory numerous times in exchange for loans and grants from Beijing. He claims that insisting on the Philippines’ legal triumph would only spark war with China. 

But critics have said the Philippines can forge stronger alliances with other nations to put more pressure on China to leave the West Philippine Sea. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!
Clothing, Apparel, Person

author

Mara Cepeda

Mara Cepeda specializes in stories about politics and local governance. She covers the Office of the Vice President, the Senate, and the Philippine opposition. She is a 2021 fellow of the Asia Journalism Fellowship and the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship of the UN. Got tips? Email her at mara.cepeda@rappler.com or tweet @maracepeda.