Dispatch from Crame No. 1023:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on China's new Coast Guard Law

Habang abala ang Malacañang magbenta ng Sinovac sa mga Filipino, lalong pinapatibay ng China ang kanilang presensyang militar sa West Philippine Sea.

Just recently, they enacted their new Coast Guard Law. This authorized their Coast Guard to use "all necessary means," including use of weapons against foreign vessels. This law also allows Coast Guard personnel to demolish other countries' structures built on China-claimed reefs and to board and inspect foreign vessels in waters claimed by China. The law also empowers the Coast Guard to create exclusion zones to stop other vessels and personnel from entering.

Paano mo maituturing na kaibigan ang isang bansa na inaangkin ang West Philippine Sea na eksklusibong para lamang sa mga Filipino? Gawain ba ng isang kaibigan na tutukan ka ng baril at paalisin ka sa sarili mong bahay?

The administration officials are stumbling all over themselves to justify using our taxpayers' money and international loans to pay for Chinese vaccines that are not even that effective. Now we know that proceeds from our purchase will be used to buy the bullets that they will use to threaten our fishermen out of our waters.

Kahit ilang protesta pa ang ihain ni Sec. Locsin ng DFA laban sa China, wala ring silbi kung patuloy pa rin natin binibigyan ng mga kontrata na nagkakahalaga ng bilyon-bilyong piso ang mga Chinese suppliers.

Our AFP is too keen on occupying our university campuses to fight imaginary communists while doing nothing to fend off actual communists that bully Filipino fishermen in Philippine waters.

Ang trabaho ng gobyerno ay ipagtanggol ang mga Filipino, hindi ang magbenta ng produktong Tsino.

Defend West Philippine Sea! Protect our territory!

(Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatchno1023)