Senator pushes for equal tactic with China

MANILA -- A senator said the strategy of President Benigno Aquino III’s personal backchannel negotiator to China is just equal regarding the ongoing territorial dispute with the latter.

According to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, the Philippines should just do what it wants with the territory much like what China is doing.

“So yung mga ginagawa ng ganyan ng China tayo rin naman puede din naman tayong gumawa nyan e,” Trillanes said.

Trillanes was referring to the new China law that allows the Hainan police to board and seize control of foreign ships that will pass through Chinese waters and order them to change course or stop sailing.

As to the China’s move to publish a new official map of the South China Sea that will include areas claimed by the Philippines, the senator said the country can also do that.

“Pwede natin isama yung disputed areas sa pera natin kung gusto natin. They can also protest but China cannot stop us naman e,” he said.

The DFA announced on Monday that it is set to question China’s move to publish a new official map of the South China Sea that will include areas claimed by the Philippines.

However, Trillanes said he does not believe that such a move by the DFA has produced anything positive except to “alarm” the public.

“Na-assign ako ng matagal sa lugar na yan. Ginagawa namin yung kailangan naming gawin ng hindi kami nag-iingay sa media. Na-proteksiyunan namin ang ating teritoryo ng hindi pumuputok sa media. So yun sana ang maging approach ng ating Department of Foreign Affairs,” Trillanes said.

Last year, it was revealed that Trillanes was sent by Aquino to China as the country’s backchannel negotiator in a bid to defuse the tension between the two countries over the dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). (HDT/Sunnex)