Alejano to Duterte: Don't be crass on allowing China to secure Sulu, Celebes Seas

MANILA, Philippines — Allowing China to secure the Sulu and Celebes Seas from pirates and terrorists would be tantamount to encouraging "a threat to your own backyard," a lawmaker said Thursday.

Magdalo Partylist Rep. Gary Alejano made this statement in reaction the suggestion of President Rodrigo Duterte to ask for Chinese presence in the Philippine waters, where pirates freely pass through.

“It is careless and ignorant to encourage a threat in your own backyard. The President should not be crass on dropping such suggestions without looking at the whole situation in that area,” Alejano said in a statement.

Prior to his flight to New Delhi last week, Duterte said that China would help secure the Philippine waters like what the did in addressing the piracy problem in Somalia.

"Sasabihin ko sa inyo, kung hindi natin kaya, we’ll just have to call China to come in and blow them off just like Somalia, that Aden Strait there. Were it not for the presence of the Chinese, hindi mahinto ‘yung piracy doon," Duterte said.

Alejano, however, said that attributing the curbing of piracy in Somalian waters would e an exaggeration as US and European ships also conducted patrols and anti-piracy operations in the region.

The Philippines should instead develop maritime cooperation with Malaysia and Indonesia to secure the Celebes and Sulu Seas from the threat of piracy, the lawmaker added. 

“I agree that we should have a hardline policy against piracy and terrorism. However, rather than immediately running to China, let us instead develop maritime cooperation with Malaysia and Indonesia. Their borders are included in the Sulu and Celebes Seas, so it would make more sense geographically for them to be involved,” Alejano said.

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The Philippine government should also focus on the modernization of the Coast Guard and the Navy in combating piracy before asking assistance from an outsider.

“I subscribe on having an independent foreign policy. However, as we are seeing now, it is not an independent foreign policy which the Duterte administration is going for. It is a dependent-to-China policy," the Magdalo lawmaker said.

Duterte had been suggesting to request China to patrol areas in international waters leading to Malacca Strait and the Sulu Sea since last year.

In February 2017, the president said that Beijing could deploy its coast guard cutters, but not its "gray ships" or naval assets, into the country's territorial zones.

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