Pangilinan hopes Duterte would walk the talk in asserting arbitral victory

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Wednesday welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte's assertion of the Philippines' arbitral victory against the massive claims of China in the South China Sea and hoped it would result in actions under the present administration.

"We hope he will match these strong words with actions to include bringing the matter officially before the UN as well as seeking support from our ASEAN allies such as Indonesia and Vietnam who have stood up to China and opposed its aggression in the disputed waters," Pangilinan, an opposition senator, said in a statement.

"We also hope he doesn’t change his mind and does a 180-degree turn moving forward," he added.

During the United Nations General Assembly, Duterte invoked the arbitral ruling of an international court in 2016 which invalidated China's historic claims in the disputed waters.

"The Award is now part of international law, beyond compromise and beyond the reach of passing governments to dilute, diminish or abandon. We firmly reject attempts to undermine it," Duterte said.

"We welcome the increasing number of states that have come in support of the award and what it stands for — the triumph of reason over rashness, of law over disorder, of amity over ambition. This – as it should - is the majesty of the law," he added.

Another minority lawmaker, Senator Risa Hontiveros, expects that Duterte's words would not be written on water.

"This means resuming operations against the poaching in our Exclusive Economic Zone, escorting and protecting our fishing vessels, reinforcing our presence and facilities on the features we occupy, joining joint patrols with other nations in the West Philippine Sea, and safeguarding the lives and livelihood of Filipino fisherfolk communities in the country," she said in a statement.

Stressing belief in the power of words, Hontiveros said she would "remain watchful as to how these words translate into action."

Other lawmakers also welcomed Duterte's pronouncement, saying it erases doubts on the country's position on the West Philippine Sea issue.

But De Lima, a fellow opposition lawmaker of Pangilinan, is doubting the sincerity of the President's remarks.

"After four years of betraying the hard-won UNCLOS decision in order to curry favor with China, he now asks the UN to recognize it as part of international law," De Lima said.

"I have only one word to describe the Duterte who spoke last night before the UNGA. Plastic. As fake as the dolomite beach his government wasted millions on in the middle of a pandemic," she added.

Duterte, who repeatedly called China and Chinese President Xi Jinping friends of the Philippines, previously said he wouldn't go to war with the Asian superpower over the claims in the disputed waters because many Filipinos would die.

Four years after the arbitral victory of the Philippines, China still refuses to acknowledge it.—LDF, GMA News