SEN. Panfilo Lacson expressed disappointment over President Duterte’s description as a simple “maritime incident” of the hit-and-run case involving a Chinese vessel and a boat of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“It is disappointing to say the least,” Lacson said in an interview on Tuesday, citing statements by Duterte Cabinet officials who, he said, had earlier made it clear it was not a small maritime incident, as the President characterized it in a speech before the Navy on Monday.
Lacson cited the initial remarks of Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles and Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo. The first to report and denounce the June 9 incident at Recto Bank was Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. He was followed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. Both men said the Chinese side’s act of abandoning the 22 Filipinos after their boat sank was a condemnable act.
Referring to Duterte’s remarks, after a weeklong silence, before the Navy on Monday, Lacson admitted he was disappointed “because, coming from the President himself, we waited so long for him to break his silence, only to hear him say that; what I see is that he didn’t even attempt to explore all available resources that can be applied in that case, especially the provisions of the MDT,” Lacson said in a mix of English and Filipino. The MDT he cited refers to the 1951 RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty.
The senator recalled that “very recently we heard US State Secretary Mike Pompeo” affirming that the US and the Philippines are both obligated to act when there is an attack on either one’s vessel, “whether it’s a military or civilian vessel, [for as long as it’s in the] Pacific Ocean.”
Lacson added that Pompeo had said the West Philippine Sea is “well within the area of the Pacific Ocean,” adding that the US is obliged to respond and will trigger the signed RP-US MDT to take effect. “Why didn’t the President think of asking for help?” Lacson asked. He said Manila can “proactively…invoke the MDT [in order to have a] balance of power” in the area.
The senator promptly clarified that actually the President is not asking for help, as “we are just invoking the provision of the MDT, instead of just exercising his last option of surrender.”
Lacson said Duterte had a tone of resignation when he wondered aloud, at his speech before the Navy, whether those calling for tougher action wanted him to send ships to the area, or “wage war on them?”
However, Lacson said, “war is not an option here,” adding: “When we call on the US to abide by the provisions of the MDT, it is not praying for World War III. [What we’re saying is], the mere presence or [even just] a portion of the US Pacific Fleet should be enough to project a balance of power within the WPS.” Maybe then, he added, China will be more careful before “bullying Filipino fishermen or members of the Philippine Coast Guard or Philippine Navy.”
In the same interview, Lacson held out hopes that the matter will be tackled in the upcoming Asean leaders’ meeting in Thailand.
Malacañang, he noted, had declared they have a manifestation that will be included in the Asean agenda. “It is a good venue. Any forum participated in by other countries that are similarly interested in certain issues, is a good forum.”
Asked about the possible scenario should Duterte decide to invoke MDT, Lacson said this will “trigger the RP-US defense pact and we can test it. Then, we will see up to what point the US will comply with the treaty they signed in 1951.”
The US does not have to appear like it’s going to wage war, because it can simply send patrols in the area as a “proactive” measure. He played down speculations that tension will escalate. “No two superpowers would want to go to war because it is devastating. [We are in the] nuclear age. They will exercise extreme caution before they finally pull the trigger…to escalate an incident into a full-scale war.”
Commenting on Duterte’s preferred option to first wait for the results on an investigation into the incident, Lacson said it’s not true that China’s side has not been heard. “The lame excuse put forward by the Chinese spokesperson, which incidentally they took down, [then fixed the script, then posted again]…but it’s still the same. It still does not add up because the satellite feed we saw showed it is almost impossible” to believe the Chinese version that “they were besieged by seven to eight vessels.” Supposedly, they tried to flee the Filipino vessels, and accidentally hit the fishing boat Gemver 1.
Lacson noted the satellite images showed how far the other vessels were in the area.
Image credits: Senate PRIB