The Palace on Monday said that on the Philippines’ end, the country and China remain cordial in spite of the heated exchange between Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Chinese officials over the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“Sa parte po ng Pilipinas, itinuturing pa rin pong maganda ang relasyon ng ating bansa sa bansang China. So hindi naman po nagkakaroon ng anumang rift o sigalot dahil sa mga mensahe ng ating Defense secretary,” she said during a press briefing.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that all dealings with foreign countries—especially with China, concerning territorial disputes—must be conducted diplomatically.
“We could protect our rights, we could fight for our interests in a diplomatic manner—‘yan naman po ang nais ng Pangulo,” she told reporters.
The Palace official said that China was simply enforcing what is stipulated in their laws, just as the Philippines is, noting that the same applies to officials on both sides.
“Wala naman po tayong probokasyon, wala naman po tayong agresyon at wala naman din pong pananakop na ginagawa ang Pilipinas kahit kanino mang teritoryo. Ang China ay tumutupad sa kanilang batas at sa kanilang polisiya. Ganoon din po ang Pilipinas. At si Sec. Gibo ay tumutupad lang din sa kanyang mandato, kagaya rin po ng mga opisyales ng bansang China,” she said.
On Sunday, Teodoro shot back at the Chinese Embassy for its dismissal of the 2016 Arbitral Award, which affirms the Philippines’ rights over the WPS. He called their “indignation” at the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) assertion a clear show of “insincerity and duplicity.”
“Hindi kapanipaniwala ang mga sinasabi kaya idinadaan sa alboroto,” Teodoro said. “Hindi tayo pasisiil.”
The statement comes in response to the Chinese Embassy’s earlier rejection of the Arbitral Award. The embassy described the ruling as having been made through “political manipulation disguised in legal garb.”
“Its award is illegal, null and void. China neither recognizes nor accepts the award, nor does it accept any claim or action based on it. China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea are under no circumstances affected by the award,” China asserted.
