Isko wants to push maritime issues with China at UN; other bets seek ASEAN action

Aksyon Demokratiko bet and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno on Sunday vowed that he will personally call on members of the United Nations to recognize the Hague ruling at the UN General Assembly should he win the elections.

“Boto niyo po akong presidente and I’ll make sure, I’ll go the General Assembly at sisingilin ko ang lahat ng miyembro ng United Nations to recognize the Hague Ruling,” Moreno said at the Comelec debates.

“Because kung tayo ay tinatawag na nagkakaisang bansa at meron tayong obligasyon sa isa’t isa bilang nasyon, bakit kapag kayo ay naniningil ng aming obligasyon, gusto niyo tuparin namin pero kapag kami na ang naningil, parang walang dumadating na tulong sa amin?” he added.

He also said the Philippines will continue to trade with other countries while pushing for recognition.

Despite this, the Manila mayor said he will not tolerate instances such as the “Masinloc incident.”

The country has protested the "belligerent" actions of the Chinese Coast Guard to Philippine Coast Guard vessels patrolling and conducting training exercises in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.

“Any foreign vessel, entering into our sovereign territory, I’ll make sure they will be a decorative item under the sea, within the Philippine ocean,” he said.

“We have to be certain in our rules so that this country, the way it was being done in other countries, will respect us. Kasi kailangan ipatupad natin. Hindi ‘yung nangingisda ‘yung ating maningisda, dati tatlong tonelada ang nakukuha ngayon isang tonelada na lang dahil binubully ng barko ng ibang bansa,” he added.

Moreno said he will ensure that those responsible will be held liable.

“And I will ask the ambassador of that country to explain before the Office of the President,” he said.

On July 12, 2016, the Philippines scored a victory against China in a landmark ruling by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidating Beijing’s massive claims in the South China Sea.

Vice President Leni Robredo said that despite differing views among claimants on a Code of Conduct, the Philippines should lead the way in continuously pushing for one using the Hague ruling as leverage.

"Mahirap talaga makabuo ng Code of Conduct dahil may mga bansa na innate ang pagtutol. Sa aking palagay, Pilipinas ang dapat mamuno rito dahil narito sa atin ang Hague ruling. We should use it as leverage to convince fellow ASEAN countries to fight for this," Robredo said.

Former Foreign Affairs undersecretary Ernesto Abella said he will push for strengthening of ties with the Philippines' neighbor countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should he win as president.

Abella said ASEAN countries are apprehensive due to economic reasons. 

"But it can be done through consolidating let’s say 'yung rule na sinabi ni Secretary Norberto Gonzales na hindi consensus but a majority, pwede pong sabihin na ipahayag ang kanilang posisyon," he said.

"Ngayon, of course, meron po 'yung tinatawag natin sa COC (Code of Conduct) 'yung bilateral mechanisms na pwede mag-usap pero 'yung hinahanap natin ngayon ay isang hindi alliance but a statement of cooperation among the ASEAN nations. Pwede po 'yun na idaan po natin sa majority state," Abella added.

Former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said an ASEAN consensus on the sea dispute would be hard to achieve.

"Kailangan po talagang magkaroon ng ASEAN position tungkol dyan. Ang problema po yung procedure ng paggagawa ng desisyon sa ASEAN. Ang nangyari po kasi napagkasunduan na lahat ng desisyon sa ASEAN ay consensus. Eh may dalawa pong bansa dyan na medyo kinokontrol ng bansang na ating pinag-uusapan," he said.

"Sa halip na consensus, ang paggagawa ng desisyon sa ASEAN, pino-propose po na gawing majority decision. Kapag nangyari na po yan, palagay ko , mapapatupad na natin ang gusto nating mangyari sa ASEAN," Gonzales added.

Dr. Jose Montemayor Jr. said a code of conduct is not guarantee that China will stop its "intrusion."

"Hindi talaga pakikinggan ng China. They will continue their intrusion. Alam niyo po kung bakit? Ang Cambodia , Lao, at Malaysia malaking-malaki ang pagkakautang sa Tsina. Ang Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines 'yun lang ang magkakampi. Yung Thailand is neutral so we cannot get consensus," he said.—LDF, GMA News