Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday issued a gag order on his cabinet preventing his ministers from talking about the South China Sea (SCS) dispute in public. The order comes after weeks of strong comments from his administration officials over China’s aggressive conduct in the disputed waters.
Referring to the SCS, which the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea, Duterte said in a televised national address: “This is my order now to the cabinet, and to all and sundry talking for the government, to refrain from discussing the West Philippine Sea with anybody...If we talk, we talk but just among us.”
Duterte’s defence and foreign ministers and his legal adviser have all recently taken strong positions against Beijing after hundreds of Chinese boats were found parked within Manila’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for a prolonged period of time. In reference to the aggression, Salvador Panelo, the presidential legal counsel, threatened China in a strongly worded statement in April saying: “We can negotiate on matters of mutual concern and benefit, but make no mistake about it - our sovereignty is non-negotiable.” Similarly, the country’s Defence Secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, told reporters last month that “China has no business telling the Philippines what we can and cannot do with our own waters.” Soon after, the Philippines’ foreign affairs minister, Teodoro Locsin, also criticised China earlier this month for the same act in the volatile South China Sea in a harshly worded tweet that compared China to “an ugly oaf.”
The barrage of comments prompted China’s foreign ministry to request the Philippines to observe “basic etiquette” and respect its sovereignty and jurisdiction, saying, “Facts have repeatedly proved that microphone diplomacy cannot change the facts, but can only undermine mutual trust… It is hoped that relevant people in the Philippines will comply with basic etiquette and their position when making remarks.”
However, Duterte has strived to mitigate disputes with its second-largest trading partner and neighbour since taking office in 2016 and tried to establish warmer ties with China, especially amid the ongoing pandemic. In order to do so, he has attempted to set aside the historic territorial spat in exchange for thousands of free doses of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines and Beijing’s promise of billions of dollars in loans, aid, and investment, much of which are forthcoming. “China remains to be our benefactor. Just because we have a conflict with China does not mean to say that we have to be rude and disrespectful,” Duterte said in a weekly national address a few weeks ago.
Philippine Cabinet Barred From Discussing South China Sea Spat in Public
Following several rebukes against China, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued a gag order that prohibits his cabinet from talking about the South China Sea dispute in public.
May 18, 2021
SOURCE: EUGENE HOSHIKO/AP