Published April 6, 2021, 3:01 PM
The chairman of the Senate’s national defense committee is apparently irritated over the continued rejection by China of a United Nations (UN) arbitral ruling voiding its historical claim over most parts of South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
(AFP / FILE PHOTO)
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, committee chairman, said on Tuesday, April 6, that diplomatic protests “may not be too helpful anymore” since China continues to ignore them.
‘’Further, while it is a standard document used to call the attention of the other party, China’s consistent attitude of taking for granted such action taken by the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) reduces it to a mere point of information,” he added.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo (PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Panelo has voiced opposition to the “unjustified stay of Chinese vessels” in local waters, insisting that the country’s sovereignty was “non-negotiable” despite improved economic ties with the Asian giant.
“While we recognize the historical and cultural ties with China that has evolved into a productive relationship, its present territorial incursions is producing an unwelcome stain in their bond and may trigger unwanted hostilities that both countries would rather not pursue, as destructiveness consequences are not only undesirable, they are abhorrent as well and anathema to the peace of the region,” he said in a statement issued late Sunday, April 4.
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Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo
(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Panelo said he hopes the lawmakers critical of the vaccination program would trust the officials to secure supply deals for safe and effective vaccines without corruption.
The Senate committee of the whole recently launched an inquiry into the government’s vaccination program, posing questions about the choice of the vaccines and the acquisition cost. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., who was among the officials grilled during the Senate hearing, has declined to reveal the actual price of the vaccine until the supply deals are signed.
“Ang pakiusap naman natin sa mga senador natin, kayo naman bigyan ninyo naman ng give the people involved in the acquisition of the vaccines the benefit of the doubt. Titingnan ninyo rin kung may kakayahana na maging tiwali ito o yung bang proseso is open to corruption (Our appeal to the senators is give the people involved in the acquisition of the vaccines