By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Alarmed by the admission of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte that he had a “gentleman’s agreement” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, House Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun of Zambales on Sunday (14 April 2024) said the House of Representatives will look into the alleged secret deal over conduct in the West Philippine Sea.
Khonghun pointed out that the House wants to “uncover the truth” as the feisty ex-president and Beijing issued “conflicting statements” on the alleged secret deal.
“[A]t the forefront of the upcoming inquiry lies a pivotal question: ‘Who is lying—Duterte or China—regarding the existence of the contentious agreement?'” Khonghun said.
On Thursday (11 April 2024), Duterte admitted that he had agreed with Xi Jinping to maintain the status quo in the West Philippine Sea.
“Aside from the fact of having a handshake with President Xi Jinping, the only thing I remember was status quo. That’s the word na walang galawan — no movement, no armed patrols there…para walang magkagulo, hindi tayo magkagulo. Yun ang naaalala ko. I do not even know the Ayungin Shoal,” Duterte said.
On the other hand, China has maintained that the PBBM administration did not honor the deal later on.
“At the beginning of the current Philippine Administration, the said Agreement was still followed in handling the resupply mission of Ren’ai Jiao (Ayungin, Second Thomas Shoal),” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.
“But since February 2023, the Philippine side has ceased to abide by the Agreement, categorically denied its existence, and kept stirring up trouble to provoke incidents. This is the reason behind the constant volatility in Ren’ai Jiao in the past year,” it added.
But on Friday (12 April 2024), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. said he would not have entered into a secret deal with China to maintain a status quo in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), unlike what Duterte did.
(el Amigo/MNM)