Tuesday, August 9, 2022
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home News Top Stories

Duterte to China: Back off from Pag-asa

Nathaniel MarianobyNathaniel Mariano
April 6, 2019, 1:50 am
in Top Stories
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
74
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

President Rodrigo Duterte has warned Beijing to back off from a disputed island in the South China Sea, warning of possible military action if China “touches” it amid rising tensions over the key waterway.

Duterte to China: Back off from Pag-asa
ARM THEM. President Rodrigo Duterte, speaking before the 31st Annual Convention of the Prosecutors League of the Philippines in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan on Thursday, directs the League’s leadership to work with authorities to come up with solutions on how to better protect the prosecutors and their families. Presidential Photo

Duterte, aiming to attract trade and investment from the Asian superpower, has mostly withheld his early criticism of Beijing’s expansive claims to the sea—a point of regional contention because trillions of dollars of goods pass through it.

But as the military warned this week that hundreds of Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels had “swarmed” the Manila-held Pag-asa island, also known as Thitu, Duterte spoke out late Thursday.

“I will not plead or beg, but I am just telling you that lay off the Pag-asa because I have soldiers there,” Duterte said in speech to prosecutors.

“If you touch it, that’s another story. Then I will tell my soldiers ‘prepare for suicide missions,’” he added.

ADVERTISEMENT

He also said he would park five Navy ships in the area and tell the Chinese that they were well within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Duterte has repeatedly said war with China would be futile and that the Philippines would lose and suffer heavily in the process.

His words came after his Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement calling the Chinese ships’ presence an “illegal” violation of Philippine sovereignty.

China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have all staked claims to various islands and reefs as well as waterways in the sea, with rich petroleum reserves thought to sit deep beneath the waters.

In a major victory for Manila, an international maritime tribunal ruled early in Duterte’s presidency in 2016 that China’s claims to the area have no legal basis.

However, he has largely set aside that ruling and backed off on their once tense territorial dispute over the sea.

He has been criticized at home for taking too soft a stance on China and getting little of the billions of dollars in investment promised by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

For its part, Beijing has played down the rising tension over Pag-asa, saying on Thursday that both sides had “exchanged views frankly, amicably and constructively” on the issue.

The United States, long-time Philippine ally and former colonial master, has moved to oppose any Chinese expansion in the sea.

For the first time, the US said in March that it would come to Manila’s aid in case of an “armed attack” in the South China Sea.

The US navy has also forcefully asserted its right to freedom of navigation in the area, repeatedly sailing close to the man-made islands and drawing Chinese protests.

In his campaign speech, Duterte said his remarks were not a warning, but advice to a friend.

“I’m trying to tell China: That Pag-asa [Island] is ours. We have been there since 1974. If that’s yours, why didn’t you drive us away? So, let us be friends but do not touch Pag-asa Island and the rest. Otherwise… things would be different,” Duterte said.

In interviews after the speech, however, the President returned to his normal rhetoric, saying war with China would be suicide, and that Beijing could launch a missile that could hit Manila in seven minutes.

“I am sure that it has something to do with the greater game of geopolitics and it is not directed to us. And I assure you that if they kill or arrest people there who are Filipinos, then that would be the time that we will have to decide on what to do,” he added.

The country’s military earlier said about 275 ships have swarmed the vicinity of Pag-asa Island from January to March this year.

Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua claimed the Chinese ships were fishing vessels and were unarmed.

However, the Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday labeled as “illegal” the presence of hundreds of Chinese vessels swarming around the Kalayaan Island Group.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said Friday he will join President Duterte if he decides to visit Pag-asa Island, which is surrounded by Chinese vessels.

“I volunteer to join him in my capacity as an elected senator of the republic and as a freedom-loving Filipino,” Lacson said.

In a Twitter post, Lacson said that Pag-asa is part of the Philippines as he quoted lines from the Philippine national anthem stating that Filipinos would not allow any invaders and will die fighting for the country.

He said China should not be allowed to encircle, much less occupy Pag-asa Island.

Duterte said Thursday that he would not allow China to seize Pag-asa Island even as he maintained that the country must not go to war with the Chinese.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then Davao City Mayor Duterte said if China will refuse to honor the decision of the Arbitral Court, he would personally go to the disputed territory to jet ski to the disputed areas and plant the Philippine flag.

Months after he won the elections, Duterte said the “jet ski” reference was only a hyperbole to drive home the point that he would uphold the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea.

“You cannot expect me to ride [on a jet ski], I don’t even know how to swim,” he said in an interview with Al Jazeera in October 2016. “If it overturns, you lose a president.”

In the House, Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza welcomed the rebuke issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and appealed to the Chinese government to stop their purported “fishing operations” in Philippine territory.

“We are appealing to the Chinese leadership to refrain from any action that may deprive our Filipino fishermen from earning their living and benefiting from our natural resources. Pag-asa Island, as part of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), is included in the official demarcation of Philippine territory as defined by no less than the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The mere presence of Chinese vessels in the area should have required Philippine permission. But for them to shoo away Filipino fishermen in an area clearly defined as within our territory is a violation of Philippine sovereignty,” he said.

In an interview on radio dzMM, the director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Laws of the Seas Jay Batongbacal said the Philippines should seek help from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Duterte to China: Back off from Pag-asa

“We have to unify within the region and come up with a single ASEAN position against China’s fishing fleet because we are not the only country receiving this kind of treatment,” he said in Filipino. With AFP

READ: ‘China only wants to befriend PH’

READ: Ex-PH execs hit out at Chinese actions”‹

READ: DFA rebukes China anew”‹

READ: Pinoy fishers urged: Avoid Scarborough”‹

Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz

Tags: Department of Foreign AffairsPag-Asa IslandRodrigo DuterteSouth China Sea
ADVERTISEMENT
Nathaniel Mariano

Nathaniel Mariano

Related Posts

BBM warns of uncertain times

byVince Lopezand1 others
August 9, 2022, 1:40 am
0
145
Omicron BA.5 ‘most predominant’ sub-variant of samples sequenced

Calls on AFP to secure peace amid unpredictable world situations President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday warned of a “constantly...

Read more

Nation bids farewell to former President Fidel V. Ramos

byManila Standard
August 9, 2022, 1:30 am
0
140
Omicron BA.5 ‘most predominant’ sub-variant of samples sequenced

Former President Fidel V. Ramos will be given a state funeral today (Tuesday) before he is laid to rest beside...

Read more

Taiwan holds anti-invasion drills as China restarts military exercises

byAFP
August 9, 2022, 1:20 am
0
145
Vax wastage, infection surge feared in Odette-hit areas

Taiwan will hold live-fire military drills this week, simulating a defense of the island against a Chinese invasion, officials said...

Read more

Singapore PM: Storm gathering over Taiwan row

byJimbo Gulle
August 9, 2022, 1:10 am
0
140
Vax wastage, infection surge feared in Odette-hit areas

Singapore—“A storm is gathering” as relations between the United States and China are worsening over Taiwan, Prime Minister Lee Hsien...

Read more

Consumers get big break from oil price rollback, Meralco rates cut

byAlena Mae S. Flores
August 9, 2022, 1:00 am
0
137
Price rollback for kerosene, diesel but gas seen steady

Consumers buffeted by rising prices will get a breather this week as oil companies roll back pump prices by as...

Read more

Omicron BA.5 ‘most predominant’ sub-variant of samples sequenced

byWillie Casas
August 9, 2022, 12:50 am
0
143
Omicron BA.5 ‘most predominant’ sub-variant of samples sequenced

The current increase in COVID-19 cases may be attributed to the coronavirus Omicron BA.5 sub-variant, which now comprises about 85...

Read more

Stories you may like

  • Zubiri new Senate President, vows to uphold chamber’s independence

    Marcos sees stronger PH-India relations

    5686 shares
    Share 2274 Tweet 1422
  • Showbiz icon Cherie Gil dies at 59

    2593 shares
    Share 1037 Tweet 648
  • Replevin and its common law origins

    1247 shares
    Share 499 Tweet 312
  • Fuel rollback next week, power rate cut in August

    1138 shares
    Share 455 Tweet 285
  • Getting into character: How the cast of ‘Maid in Malacañang’ prepared for their roles

    2684 shares
    Share 1074 Tweet 671

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Sneakers for Makati : AB4.0
  • BBM warns of uncertain times
  • Nation bids farewell to former President Fidel V. Ramos
  • Taiwan holds anti-invasion drills as China restarts military exercises
  • Singapore PM: Storm gathering over Taiwan row
  • Consumers get big break from oil price rollback, Meralco rates cut
  • Omicron BA.5 ‘most predominant’ sub-variant of samples sequenced
  • PH unemployment rate holds steady

Advertisement

Latest News

Consumers get big break from oil price rollback, Meralco rates cut

byAlena Mae S. Flores
August 9, 2022, 1:00 am
0
137
Price rollback for kerosene, diesel but gas seen steady

Consumers buffeted by rising prices will get a breather this week as oil companies roll back pump prices by as...

Read more

Omicron BA.5 ‘most predominant’ sub-variant of samples sequenced

byWillie Casas
August 9, 2022, 12:50 am
0
143
Omicron BA.5 ‘most predominant’ sub-variant of samples sequenced

The current increase in COVID-19 cases may be attributed to the coronavirus Omicron BA.5 sub-variant, which now comprises about 85...

Read more

PH unemployment rate holds steady

byJulito G. Radaand1 others
August 9, 2022, 12:40 am
0
134
3 EU nations out warning on ‘Lucky Me!’

The country’s unemployment rate in June 2022 remained unchanged at 6 percent, the same rate a month ago, but significantly...

Read more

Garcia: Comelec ready for village, SK polls in Dec.

byManila Standard
August 9, 2022, 12:30 am
0
135
Comelec reminds poll bets: Follow June 8 deadline on expense report

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Garcia said the poll regulator is prepared to conduct the 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang...

Read more

‘Dengue cases up 118% from same period last year’

byWillie Casasand1 others
August 9, 2022, 12:20 am
0
137
PH dengue fatalities highest in Asia

The Philippines logged 92,343 dengue cases from January 1 to July 23, 2022—a 118 percent increase compared to the cases...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App