We slam the conspicuous silence of Vice President Sara Duterte amid the escalating violent attacks of China against Filipino frontliners in the West Philippine Sea. Particularly alarming is China’s latest act of aggression: a violent water cannon attack against a Philippine supply vessel near Ayungin Shoal last Saturday, March 23, 2024, which resulted in the injury of several Filipino frontliners.
We underscored Duterte’s active defense of doomsday evangelist Apollo Quiboloy, who faces accusations of sexual offenses, juxtaposed with her extreme silence on China’s egregious abuses against Filipino fishers and frontliners.
It’s bewildering how Vice President Duterte can find the time and energy to defend a disgraced figure like Quiboloy, yet remains eerily silent when our own countrymen and women are under attack by a foreign aggressor. Is her allegiance to justice selective, or does she simply lack the courage to stand up to China? Either way, it is despicable.
Talaga bang kontrabida na ang napiling papel ng mga Duterte sa ating bansa? Sadya bang “Made in China” ang puso ni VP Sara? Kaya niyang ipagtanggol ang isang akusadong rapist at human trafficker, ngunit pipi, bulag at bingi siya sa pang-aapi na dinadanas ng ating mga kababayan sa kamay ng Tsina sa West Philippine Sea.
(Have the Dutertes chosen the role of villains in our country? Is VP Sara’s heart “Made in China”? She would rather defend an accused rapist and human trafficker, but she is dumb, blind and deaf to the oppression our countrymen are suffering at the hands of China in the West Philippine Sea.)
We challenge Duterte to break her silence and take a stand against China’s violations of Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Filipino people need real leaders, not traitors. The deafening silence of Vice President Duterte speaks volumes about her priorities. While she rushes to the defense of the morally questionable, she turns a blind eye to the plight of Filipinos facing aggression in our own waters. It’s time for VP Sara to show some courage and defend our sovereignty, rather than seeking refuge in a traitorous silence that betrays the trust of the Filipino people.