Dispatch from Crame No. 1178:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Chinese vessels using water cannon to prevent Philippine supply ships from accessing Ayungin Shoal

China fired water cannons on our supply ships, bringing supplies to our Philippine Navy outpost established well within our Exclusive Economic Zone, and its no. 1 lackey is running for the Senate.

To be clear, the Arbitral Tribunal Award of June 2016 has ruled that China's so-called "9-dash line" had no basis, historically or legally. So ano ang karapatan nilang pigilan tayong marating ang mga lugar sa Ayungin Shoal? Nine-Dash Line? Kaululan lamang iyan ng isang palalo at mapang-bully na bansa at mga galamay nito.

What's next if candidates who favor a pro-China foreign policy should win in 2022? A total blockade of our own territory?

While this is not the first time that China attempted to block supplies for our soldiers in the Ayungin Shoal, it has now taken a more aggressive attempt to assert its fallacious claim in the West Philippine Sea.

This is why I have always said that the WPS issue should be among the top priority issues of ALL candidates in the national elections, and every single voter from all walks of life - from the youth sector to the senior citizen sector, or from the fisheries sector to the military sector - should always keep the position of every candidate on the WPS issue in mind when they cast their vote.

Hindi dapat mawala sa diskurso ang usapin ng West Philippine Sea. Gawin natin itong normal na bahagi ng pang araw-araw na usapin, katulad ng trabaho, pabahay, pagkain, kalusugan. Buhay at kabuhayan ng ating mga kasamang mangingisda ang nakasalalay dito; kinabukasan ng ating mga anak, nating lahat. Dahil dito, kailangang malinaw din sa taumbayan ang paninindigan ng ating mga kandidato pagdating sa usapin ng WPS.

It is not enough to just file diplomatic protest after diplomatic protest every time China goes on a bullying rampage, especially when it is refusing any diplomatic attempt to resolve the dispute. Malinaw yan. What we need is political will to defend our sovereignty and tell China to back off. We cannot afford another six years of subservience and servility, in the guise of "a long and abiding friendship."

Hindi ito isyu na pwede pang ipagpaliban ng anim pang taon o mahigit. Ito ay isyung napapanahon at, sa totoo lamang, matagal nang pinabayaan ng Administrasyong Duterte, na naghihilik at namumuhay nang masagana sa Davao at Malacañang habang ang mga sundalo, mangigisda at soberanya ng bansa ay inaalipusta ng kanyang among-dayuhan.

Kaya dapat ay markahang "Hudas" na ang mga pulitikong hindi kaya at handang magtanggol sa ating soberanya. Lalong-lalo na ang mga kampon ng isang "Pangulo" kuno na ginawang katatawanan ang pag-jet ski kuno para ipagtanggol ang bayan, at ang kandidato na, sa halip seguruhin ang ating soberanya ay nakikipagpulong unang-una sa mga emisaryo ng dayuhang manlulupig. They are Judases that don't even deserve to be on the ballot, much less given more years in power to do nothing for the Filipinos.

(Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_1178)