Cayetano to Filipinos: Be pro-Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Sunday urged Filipinos to be “pro-Philippines” amid the latest word war between Manila and Beijing over Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan’s remarks about China’s ability to defeat the Philippines by force.

Cayetano stressed that the Philippines is not looking for trouble.

“[W]e are not looking for trouble…but because of the heat of our dispute with China, it spilled over now even in Congress,” Cayetano said in a Facebook livestream.

Article continues after this advertisement

“But just a reminder to all of us, don’t be pro-US, don’t be pro-China. Don’t be anti-China. Don’t be anti-US. Be pro-Philippines. Because if you are pro-Philippines, you cannot go wrong. Even in the heat of the moment…if we are pro-Philippines, we know the interests of the Philippines,” he added.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

Cayetano said he found Jing’s statement as well as the people’s reaction to it “quite surprising.”

But he added that the dispute and the exchange between the two parties were no longer unexpected as it has been “brewing from the time of Pnoy until now,” referring to the late former President Benigno Aquino III.

READ: PH arbitral win’s legacy: World’s eyes on China

During his term, Aquino took the initiative to assert Philippine sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.

Article continues after this advertisement

The dispute was brought before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which culminated in the historic 2016 landmark arbitral victory that invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim and affirmed the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rights.

“If there is a dispute, we must look much, much, much further on how to resolve it…If there is a way to resolve it, we focus on that. If there’s none, how do you manage the dispute that it doesn’t become even a bigger problem?” said Cayetano.

Article continues after this advertisement

“The Filipinos’ agenda now is how to manage the dispute. At the same time, primarily securing our sovereignty, our sovereign rights, but also being able to focus [on other problems of the country],” he added. “We should stand up for our rights–both our sovereignty and sovereign rights. Those two are different, but we have to stand up for both.”

He said trouble should be seen as “an opportunity for order, an opportunity for better relations, an opportunity for discussions, for diplomacy.”

If trouble will end up in bigger trouble, it’s the ordinary Filipino who will be caught in trouble, said Cayetano.

“Yes, we should not be bullied in our own country….[but] there is always a way to be able to manage issues and problems. And there’s also a way of looking at countries where you have dispute,” he said.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

He added that while the Philippines might not be able to maintain “very, very close ties” at least in the short term with China, “we might be able to manage our dispute better.”