Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 28) — The government should heed Filipinos’ call for action against China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said Friday in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s statement that foreign policy should be left to the executive.
Hontiveros earlier filed a resolution seeking to elevate the issue of the maritime row to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). She specifically wants the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to sponsor a resolution at the UNGA calling on China to stop its harassment of Filipino vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
This was met with a heated debate in the Senate, followed by Marcos’ cold response that \”foreign policy is not set by the legislature.\”
Asked about this, Hontiveros said her resolution simply seeks to express the Senate’s condemnation of China’s bullying, and urge the DFA to bring the issue to the UNGA.
\”There have been resolutions in the past expressing the sense of the Senate that the Executive take action on certain issues. I’m sure, as a former senator, he knows this,\” Hontiveros said.
\”Filipinos want government action against China’s bullying. Pakinggan natin ang sambayanan [Let us listen to them],\” she added.
Hontiveros’ proposed resolution is stalled in the Senate following opposition from Senator and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who argued that running to the UNGA may not be the proper strategy.
Senate President Juan Miguel \”Migz\” Zubiri, who co-sponsored Hontiveros’ resolution, agreed to Cayetano’s request for an executive session to further discuss the issue behind closed doors.
In his latest statement, Cayetano said the government should exercise wisdom, circumspection, and maturity in discussing the West Philippine Sea issue.
\”In this regard, I believe not bringing this matter to the UN General Assembly is NOT a sign of weakness but a mark of maturity,\” he said.
\”It is also not true that there is no other choice, nor that the Government is not doing anything. In fact, the UNGA option has been discussed many times in the past, and many experts have said that it will not help the Philippines’ cause and might even weaken our position,\” he added.
This opinion is shared by the president’s sister, Senator Imee Marcos, who expressed concern a Philippine resolution castigating China may not get enough votes in the UNGA.
Asked for comment, Senate Minority Leader \”Koko\” Pimentel III said he did not want to preempt the closed-door meeting on Monday.
Zubiri earlier expressed confidence the Senate will pass a resolution next week calling for concrete action in rallying allies to push China to respect international law in the sea dispute.
