Congress to probe Duterte’s secret China deal

PAGADIAN CITY – The House of Representatives is set to probe the so-called secret agreement on the West Philippine Sea between China and former president Rodrigo Duterte during his administration.

This was confirmed by Majority Leader Rep. Mannix Dalipe. “In response to the request of our colleagues led by Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun, the House of Representatives will consider the call to probe the supposed gentleman’s agreement when Congress resumes its regular sessions…protecting our national territory and marine resources are of utmost importance,” said Dalipe, chairman of the House Committee on Rules. 

Khonghun and other lawmakers call for the need to scrutinize the implications of any agreements after China insisted that Duterte had cut a secret deal with Beijing.  Duterte’s ally Harry Roque also said that Duterte and China have struck a deal on the West Philippine Sea.

Roque said Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jingpin agreed to maintain the status quo at Ayungin Shoal, where the BRP Sierra Madre had been grounded. This deal included refraining from constructing and repairing installations in the West Philippine Sea or in any part of the Philippines exclusive economic zone, and that only food and water supplies, not construction materials, could be delivered to Filipino troops manning the dilapidated ship.

“The inquiry is aimed at guaranteeing transparency and protecting the national interests. The House of Representatives is committed to conducting a comprehensive and fair inquiry to clarify this critical national issue,” Dalipe said. 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he has rescinded the agreement secretly forged between Duterte and Xi.

In an interview during the 50th anniversary of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, Marcos said the supposed agreement was brought up to him last year, he did not hesitate to rescind the secret agreement.

“When this first came up a few months ago, and it turns out the Chinese are insisting that there is a secret agreement and perhaps there is, and I said I didn’t, I don’t know anything about the secret agreement, should there be such a secret agreement, I am now rescinding it. So, I’ve rescinded it, if indeed it exists,” Marcos said.

Asked how he intends to hold Duterte accountable for the supposed agreement, Marcos said that the government needs to find out first what the agreement was about as he emphasized that he has already talked to some former officials about it.

But he noted that he has not gotten “a straight answer out of anyone,” which prompted him to ask what was it all about, what is the content of the secret agreement, and why did the previous administration keep it a secret to the Filipino people.

“These are simple questions, but I find – I’m finding a great deal of difficulty finding answers for them. Because I hear one thing, and another thing, and another thing, and another thing. It’s all very – maraming palusot, in other words,” Marcos said.

Duterte, who defended China publicly, has been attacking and insulting Marcos and criticizing his foreign policy and his hard stance on the West Philippine Sea.  

Marcos said the Philippines will not surrender to China its sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, adding he will not be deterred by Beijing’s threats amid its recent water cannon attack on a Filipino supply boat.

Marcos, a former member of the elite Philippine Army’s Scout Ranger Regiment, said he will implement “a response and countermeasure package” against China’s continued aggression.

Marcos has met his security and defense officials and submitted the relevant “requirements” to international allies who have expressed their support to the Philippine government against China.

“Over the succeeding weeks, there shall be implemented by the relevant national government agencies and instrumentalities a response and countermeasure package that is proportionate, deliberate, and reasonable in the face of the open, unabating, and illegal, coercive, aggressive, and dangerous attacks by agents of the China Coast Guard and the Chinese Maritime Militia,” Marcos said.

“We seek no conflict with any nation, more so nations that purport and claim to be our friends, but we will not be cowed into silence, submission or subservience. Filipinos do not yield,” he added.

At least three navy personnel aboard the Unaizah May 4 (UM4) were injured after the two vessels of the China Coast Guard water cannoned their vessel carrying supplies for the Filipino troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal.

The UM4 was heavily damaged after the incident, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Despite the attack, the AFP said the rotation and resupply mission to the Filipino troops was successful.

Marcos said he has already given his directives to his security and defense officials. “Over the course of these past days, I have met with and spoken to our country’s National Security and Defense leadership. They have made their considered recommendations and, through exhaustive consultations, I have given them my directives,” he said.

“I have also been in constant communication with representatives of relevant allies, partners, and friends in the international community. They have offered help to us on what the Philippines requires to protect and secure our Sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction while ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-pacific,” he added.

US Warning

The Philippines have filed tens of dozens of diplomatic protests over Chinese aggression inside Filipino territories being claimed by Beijing as theirs.

The United States (U.S.) Department spokesperson Matthew Miller branded the Chinese harassment as “dangerous and unlawful actions.”

Miller said the U.S. reaffirms its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines following the actions of Chinese vessels in the South China Sea. “The United States reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft—including those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the South China Sea,” he said.

Under the Mutual Defense Treaty, the two countries agree that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either the Philippines or the US would be dangerous and that they would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.

UNCLOS

Marcos said the Philippines will be compelled to push back its partnership with China when the principle of the two countries is questioned or ignored amid tensions in the South China Sea. In his recent speech at the Lowy Institute Peace and Resilient Amidst Great Power Rivalries: The Philippine Perspective in Melbourne, Australia, Marcos emphasized that centuries of friendship and kinship bind the Filipino and Chinese people.

“We pursue with the People’s Republic of China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation founded on mutual respect and mutual benefit,” Marcos said, referring to the bilateral ties between the Philippines and China. But he stressed that he will “push back ties” if the country’s sworn principles are questioned or ignored.

“Our independent foreign policy compels us to cooperate with them on matters where our interests align, to respectfully disagree on areas where our view differ, and to push back when our sworn principles, such as our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and our jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea – are questioned or ignored,” he added.

Marcos reiterated that the interest of the Philippines in the context of the South China Sea issue will remain. He emphasized that the Chinese government continues to ignore the universal and unified character of the 1982 UNCLOS and in the final and binding determinations of the South China Sea Arbitration Award of 2016.

“It is unfortunate that despite the clarity provided by international law, provocative, unilateral, and illegal actions continue to infringe upon our sovereignty, our sovereign rights, our jurisdictions,” he said.

ASEAN

Marcos said that “this pattern of aggression” by China obstructs the path towards ASEAN’s vision of the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability, and of prosperity. “As a country committed to the cause of peace and the peaceful settlement of disputes, the Philippines continues to tread the path of dialogue and diplomacy despite these serious difficulties,” he said.

He emphasized that the Philippines’s adherence to the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea remains steadfast, and the country’s commitment to working with ASEAN and China towards an effective and substantive Code of Conduct “that finds its moorings in UNCLOS and respects the interest of all stakeholders, including Australia.”

UNCLOS or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. (Mindanao Examiner)