SunStar
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May 06, 2021
HOW do you solve a problem like China? We sued them under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and won but China refused to honor the judgment. During the presidential campaign, then candidate Rodrigo Duterte promised to jet-ski to the West Philippine Sea to plant the Philippine flag and stake Philippine jurisdiction over the disputed territory. His spokesman would later claim that the campaign promise was meant to be a joke.
The joke is on us. China not only built fortifications in the West Philippine Sea from where they harass Filipino fishermen returning to their old fishing grounds but also deployed vessels threateningly close to our country. The act is an obvious insult to our sovereignty, a fact that did not escape the attention of our foreign affairs secretary.