Duterte: PHL can't stop China's planned construction of monitoring station on Panatag

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said the Philippines cannot do anything if China pushes through with the reported plan to build a monitoring station on Panatag Shoal.

"We cannot stop China from doing his thing," Duterte said during a press conference before his departure to Myanmar.

He added that even world power America could not stop China, which has been building structures on contested islands in the South China Sea.

The mayor of China's Sansha City had said that the government planned to begin preparatory work this year to build environmental monitoring stations on a number of islands, including Panatag Shoal.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio had warned that China will complete its radar coverage of the entire South China Sea if it finishes the construction of a monitoring station on Panatag Shoal.

“A radar station on Scarborough Shoal will immediately complete China's radar coverage of the entire South China Sea. China can then impose an ADIZ or air defense identification zone in the South China Sea,” said Carpio, a member of the Philippine legal team during the arbitration proceedings against China in The Hague, Netherlands.

Duterte said during the briefing that he could not make an aggresive stance against China, which he says is the Philippines friend just like America and Russia.

"Ano ba gawin ko, declare war against China? I can, but we all lose our military and policemen... and we cannot assert a single sentence of any provision that we signed," he added, referring to the arbitral ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration favoring the Philippines' claims over Panatag Shoal, also called Scarborough and named by the Chinese as Huangyan.

As Duterte took office, the coast guards of China and the Philippines have been conducting patrols in the disputed shoal.

The President said he had told Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting, along with his Cabinet members, that "there will come a time" that he will invoke the PCA's ruling.

"When? When they shall start to tinker with entitlements, tubig pa ngayon eh," he said.

Duterte had said that he discussed Panatag Shoal with Xi during his state visit to China last year.

China, which were closely guarding the disputed shoal, had allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the rich fishing ground.

Duterte also touched on the issue of a Chinese survey ship's passage in the Philippine-owned Benham Rise.

"And so what if they stop there. They admit that it is within the territory of the Philippines. That does not satisfy you?" he said.

"Ang right of passage niya everybody can. Eh ang Amerikano araw-araw dumadaan diyan eh, bakit mag-discriminate ako sa China," he said.

He added: "We are not at war against China. We are not at war against America, and yet Americans ships come and go. Why should we not allow the Russians, they are also my friend. China is also our friend, and now we are improving on the economy because of the help of China. Bakit ka naman magwalanghiya para magdaan lang."

Duterte had said that he had an agreement with China allowing research activities in Benham Rise. —ALG, GMA News