Dispatch from Crame No. 1181:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima On Duterte's Doublespeak on the WPS

11/23/2021

Why only now? This is all that can be expressed of Duterte's latest statement "criticizing" China's aggression on Philippine supply ships on their way to the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal.

We should rather take heart instead on the statement of the US State Department reminding China that an attack on Philippine public ships will be considered as an act that would trigger their commitments under the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty.

On the other hand, Duterte's statement shows that the DFA was no longer taking any chances on his off-the-cuff remarks on international incidents such as the recent use of water cannons by China on Philippine supply ships. That was not Duterte speaking, but the DFA.

Duterte is the only one to blame for this tragic state of affairs in the West Philippine Sea, where China never thinks twice on being an aggressor, given the subservience of Duterte who even once asked China to just annex the Philippines as its province.

We always had a Chinese puppet for a President in Duterte. His mouthing fighting words against China as prepared by the DFA does not make him any less so. ###

(Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_1181)