Palace hits critics for using survey to attack Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang slammed critics of the administration for intensifying their attacks on President Duterte using a recent survey showing most Filipinos wanting the government to assert the country’s rights to islands in the West Philippine Sea.

“The premise of the survey question is wrong as it assumes that we have not asserted our rights over the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea. This administration has asserted our rights over the same. There are many ways of asserting such rights,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

In the Social Weather Stations survey, most respondents expressed belief the country should assert its rights over the West Philippine Sea by invoking a 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration reaffirming the country’s maritime entitlements.

The same ruling invalidated China’s massive nine-dash line maritime claim.

“Similarly expected is that some quarters who are opposed to the President, for the sake of opposing, would tweak and use the result of this survey question to lambast PRRD and this administration,” he said.

Panelo argued that Duterte has been asserting the country’s rights over West Philippine Sea islands through diplomatic means, avoiding direct armed conflict with claimants.

“Aggressively asserting it, as the critics and detractors would want it, by way of physically gaining control of the disputed areas as to evict the other claimants, not only is reckless but unintelligent as well,” he said.

“Such tack will obviously trigger armed hostilities that can develop into a full-blown war, thereby risking the lives and properties of the Filipino people and put in imminent peril the security of the Republic,” Panelo said.

He said the dispute with Beijing over land features and islets in the West Philippine Sea is not the sum of the Philippines’ relationship with China.

“Thus, President Duterte, as the country’s chief architect of our foreign policy, has been using skillful diplomacy in dealing with our giant neighbor where both countries can peacefully discuss and resolve issues through a bilateral consultation mechanism,” he said.

Panelo said the 1987 Constitution mandates the President to observe friendly relations with other countries while directing him to act in accordance with his primordial duty to serve and protect the Filipino people.

He maintained though that the Palace is not surprised by the survey result showing 87 percent of adult Filipinos agreeing to the statement: “The Philippine government should assert its right to the islands in the West Philippine Sea as stipulated in the 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.”

Panelo noted that the previous Aquino administration should be blamed for failing to protect areas such as the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.