Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo yesterday called out a Washington-based think tank for urging President Duterte to assert the country’s rights over the West Philippine Sea.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies has urged Duterte to act on the ruling of the arbitral tribunal in The Hague on the West Philippine Sea. CSIS is a public policy research institution dedicated to analysis and policy impact.
According to Panelo, nobody but the Philippines can tell when is the right time for the government to assert its right on the disputed waters.
“Hindi sila dapat nakikialam kung ano ‘yung gusto ng Pilipinas. That’s foreign interference,” he said over Radyo ng Bayan.
“Tayo may sarili tayong programa, tayo ang magdidikta kung kailan natin i-aassert,” he added.
CSIS Southeast Asia program senior adviser Ernest Bower has pointed out the popular clamor that the Philippines should assert its claim over the West Philippine Sea.
“It’s what Filipinos want to do and I think the Philippines showed a lot of courage. It had nothing to do with Philippine domestic politics, it had to do with the Philippines’ sovereignty,” Bower said.
“I think the world admired the Philippines’ courage and leadership to take that case and get the decision and I believe President Duterte would be wise to follow through on it,” he added.
A Pulse Asia survey published last January said eight out of 10 Filipinos believe that the government should assert its claim on the West Philippine Sea.
Panelo said that just like what the President stated, the time will come, within Duterte’s term, when the Philippines and China will finally get to talk about the disputed waters but not now.
Last week, Duterte reiterated that the country first needs to finalize a good relationship with China before he brings up the issue on the disputed waters. (Agryll Cyrus B. Geducos)