Duterte: No ifs or buts, WPS is ours. But...

MANILA, Philippines — Faced with criticisms and threats of an impeachment complaint, President Duterte reiterated that the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines – debunking a claim of Beijing – during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last night. 

Duterte put on record his stand before the halls of the 18th Congress, giving the Filipino nation his assurance that “national honor and territorial integrity” are foremost in his mind.

“When we take next steps in this lingering controversy over the lines of arbitral ruling, the West Philippine Sea is ours, there is no ifs or buts, it is ours, but we have been acting along that legal truth and line, but we have to temper it with the times and realities that we face today,” Duterte said.

Speaking about the issue against the advice of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio,  the Chief Executive explained he is doing a balancing act on the matter to avoid dragging the Philippines into a war with China.

“The avoidance of conflict – armed conflict and protection of our territorial waters and natural resources – compel us to perform a delicate balancing act,” he said.

Duterte explained further that the country cannot afford a war with Beijing, or lose his soldiers during a military confrontation.

“A shooting war is grief and misery multiplier. War leaves widows and orphans in its wake,” the President said.

“I am not ready or inclined to accept the occurrence of more destruction, more widows and more orphans, should war, even on a limited scale, break out. More and better results can be reached in the privacy of a conference room than in a squabble in public,” he said. 

“That is why I will do in the peaceful way, mindful of the fact that it is our national pride and territorial integrity that are at stake,” Duterte said.

The President lashed out at critics who seem to want him to launch a war against China. Duterte has been sarcastic against detractors, at times urging them to join the conflict once he invokes the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States.

“Short of expressly advocating a call to arms, there are those who say that we should stand up and stop those who fish in our economic zone. Of course we will do (so) in due time,” he said.

At a press briefing after the SONA, Duterte maintained he has made it clear to China that the Philippines also asserts its rights over some areas in the South China Sea.

“We are a claimant, they are a claimant. So, we’ll have to say, ‘look, don’t forget me.’ I will insist that as an owner, though conflicting with you… we also have, must have, a share of the resources,” the President said.

Duterte said he would surely raise the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the proper time, but not yet. “Second, wag muna ngayon… (not for now),” he said.

He said there was talk on sharing 60-40 as regards oil exploration in one of the contested areas, and Beijing seems “generous” to allow such agreement since the Philippines does not have resources to develop the area.

“We do not have the resource, we do not have a capital in digging oil. It’s so expensive,” he noted.