Malacaῆang confirmed that former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile will take part in the West Philippine Sea discussion during the public address of President Rodrigo Duterte tonight.
Duterte floated during his last public address on May 13 that he wants to invite Enrile to speak on the matter since he “was there right at the beginning.”
“Kinakailangan nating pakinggan ang sasabihin ng dating senador dahil magandang malaman ang papel ni dating senador Antonio Trillanes at dating secretary Albert Del Rosario sa usapin ng pagkawala ng Scarborough Shoal sa Pilipinas,” Roque said.
“Ang pagkawala ng Scarborough Shoal ang naging hudyat ng kaguluhan sa West Philippine Sea na dati naman ay tahimik,” he added.
Roque said the official is knowledgeable regarding the territorial dispute since he served the government for a long time.
“It’s for Philippine history. Kasi hanggang ngayon, hindi natin alam kung ano ang naging papel ni Senator Trillanes, kung ano iyong nilalaman ng tinatawag na ‘Brady notes’,” Roque said.
“We need his insights dahil siya ang longest-serving secretary of national defense ng ating bansa, at during the Marcos administration nagsimula ang [Presidential Decree] 1596, ang pagkabit sa Kalayaan Island Group sa ating teritoryo,” he added.
Enrile’s position
In a Facebook post on May 12, the former senator said he supports the current administration’s position to maintain bilateral relations with other countries while refusing to give up its territories.
He said the proposal of former Associate Justice Antonio Caprio to engage in a “harder, more assertive, and more aggressive stance against China” is “the best approach,” if the Philippines has “wherewithal to back it up.”
“But, for me, it is not feasible at the moment under our current national circumstance… [We] are not Japan, nor Taiwan, nor South Korea – not even Malaysia or Vietnam – in terms of armed capability. Our economy is not that big and strong enough to enable us to make a credible challenge against a country like China,” he said.
“For me, it is better for us to bid our time, make our economy bigger and stronger, and strengthen and modernize our defense and military capability before we raise our fists,” he said.
Prof. Rommel Banlaoi, a political scientist and international studies expert, also supports the position of the government to settle disputes with China “through consultations and negotiations.”
“Sana magpatuloy ‘yung bilateral consultative mechanism in the South China Sea dahil marami siyang na-achieve over the years since 2016. Nagkaroon ng limang meetings diyan, at maraming napagkasunduan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Malacañang reiterated that no Philippine territory was lost during the Duterte administration, and that the Chief Executive never surrendered the country’s sovereignty. – Report from Mela Lesmoras/AG-jlo,rir
