By Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos
Malacañang has reiterated that the Philippine government will continue to rely on China’s good faith and insisted that the Asian giant has not made any new reclamation in the disputed portion of the South China Sea.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the comment after it was reported that China has almost finished its militarization on their artificial islands in the disputed waters.
Roque, in a press briefing, said there was nothing new with the report since the supposed activities were happening on the islands which were reclaimed even before President Duterte took office.
“Those islands were reclaimed during even the time of the former administration. They were completed, in fact, during the time of the previous administration. And I think, whether or not we like it, they intended to use them as military bases,” Roque said.
“Our position is anything found in those islands were already there when the President took over. And let’s not talk about militarization that happened under the Duterte administration, if there is such a militarization which China denies,” he added.
Roque said the government cannot do anything about China’s actions on the West Philippine Sea except to rely on China’s promise that they will not reclaim anymore new artificial islands in the disputed waters.
