 |
| President Rodrigo Duterte |
By Jaime Laude and Ding Cervantes
MANILA, Philippines - It was the inaction of the United States that emboldened China to aggressively assert its claim in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea, including building artificial islands, many of which have evolved into military facilities with advanced communications and weapons systems, President Duterte told a gathering of lawyers Thursday night.
In remarks before members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Pasay City, Duterte said only the US has the capability to stop China’s actions in disputed waters, but the superpower appeared to have let the Chinese have their way, to the consternation of neighboring countries.
The President stressed that the Philippines – under his leadership – would never engage in a violent confrontation with any country, much less with China, just to promote its maritime interests.
“Why in hell ang America, siya lang talaga ang pwede kumasa doon, bakit sabihin niya ngayon magpunta ang Navy ko (Only America can assert itself there, so why would it tell me to send my Navy)? It will be a massacre for my soldiers, I will not do it,” the President said.
Duterte claimed that the Philippines had been warned that “something was afoot” at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal as “some sort of structure” was being set up in the area as early as five years ago.
“Bakit hindi mo pinuntahan doon? Bakit hindi mo sinita? Bakit hindi ka nagpadala ng limang aircraft carrier at kinasahan mo (Why did you not go there? Why did you not confront them? Why did you not send five aircraft carriers?) and you had to wait for the problem to ripen into international issue involving this time so many countries,” the Philippine leader said.
“You could have (nipped) the problem in the bud had you taken a decisive action,” he added.
Duterte said a simple miscalculation in the South China Sea could lead to a war.
Read the full story at PhilStar