BBM attends Chinese embassy event

MANILA, Philippines — For China’s top diplomat in the Philippines, the attendance of presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the photo wall in the Chinese embassy on Wednesday and a talk with the son of the ousted Philippine president were a “great honor.”

Marcos, who commended President Duterte’s “right way” and “very good” China policy, was with his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, their son Joseph Simon, and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez during the ceremony at the embassy.

“A great honor to have Bongbong Marcos with me at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the photo wall in the Chinese Embassy,” Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian said in a post on Facebook.

“Hanging on the wall are photographs recording historic moments of China-Philippines relations, one of which on the top has depicted the historic scene of then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and then Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos signing the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between our two counties on June 9, 1975,” he said.

The late dictator’s son agreed with Duterte in employing “the right way” toward Beijing and its rejection of the ruling that junked its claims to the West Philippine Sea.

“Iyong policy of engagement na ginagawa ng Duterte government, although it is criticized, this is the right way to go,” Marcos was quoted as saying.

“While always cherish and honor old friends, we hope that more and more people from our two countries will be committed to deepening our partnership and cooperation, so as to bring more benefits to our two peoples and pass on our traditional friendship from generation to generation,” the Chinese envoy added.

Duterte was criticized for leaving a “shameful legacy” of squandering the 2016 Arbitral Award in exchange for Chinese loans and investments which have barely materialized to this day.

Duterte said the arbitral decision on the South China Sea row that favored the Philippines is just a piece of paper that can be thrown in the wastebasket.

In July, China dismissed the landmark ruling that went against its expansive South China Sea claims as “nothing more than a piece of waste paper.”

Meantime, the ambassador announced China’s donation of 2,000 metric tons of rice that were handed over to the Philippines.

Huang joined the virtual handover ceremony of the third shipment of China’s rice donation to the Philippines, together with Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista.

“So far, 6,150 metric tons of rice donated by China has arrived in the Philippines, benefiting nearly a million Filipino households. With joint efforts of our two countries, we expect to deliver another 3,850 MT of rice donation within this year,” the ambassador said.

“On behalf of the people of the Philippines, I accept this donation fully cognizant of friendship and thoughtful concern behind it,” Bautista said.

Bautista said that China’s humanitarian assistance “helped facilitate the start of recovery of our people especially the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged.” – Rainier Allan Ronda