Senators welcomed on Monday the offer of United States President Donald J. Trump to mediate a settlement of conflicting territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea.
“Sure,” Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III on Monday said when asked if the Philippine government should accept Trump’s offer made earlier at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Vietnam. “Anything to help,” Sotto told the BusinessMirror.
Sen. Gregorio B. Honasan II, chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, agreed the Philippines needs all the help it can get from other countries.
“Consistent with our foreign economic and security policy, resolution of conflicts through diplomacy and peaceful means, we need all the help we can get, especially from powerful nations like the US who share the same objectives of peace and development, not only for the region but for the global community,” Honasan said in a separate text message to the BusinessMirror.
Trump had reiterated his readiness to be of help to Asian allies on his way to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Leader’s Summit in Manila, where Trump was to attend bilateral talks scheduled between the Asean and it’s dialogue partners.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon also concurred with the idea to tap Trump as mediator.
“Yes,” Drilon replied, when asked if the Duterte administration should accept Trump’s offer.
Besides the United States, the Asean will also meet with eight other dialogue partners from various governments, as well as two multilateral organizations, the United Nations and the European Council.
Top US officials have repeatedly voiced concern on the need to maintain freedom navigation in the South China Sea, where at least four countries have competing claims on remote islands straddling the West Philippine Sea.
But Foreign Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano indicated Philippine officials are still awaiting the response of other claimant countries to Trump’s offer to mediate a settlement. Aside from the Philippines and China, other Asian claimants include Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.
In an earlier interview, Cayetano confirmed the Duterte administration was also thankful for the offer, crediting Trump’s record as “a good mediator.”
“We thank him [Trump] for it. It’s a very kind, generous offer because he is a good mediator,” Cayetano told reporters.
While Manila appreciates Trump’s “honest” offer, Cayetano said claimant countries in the contested waters must first give their take on the proposal.
“Of course, the claimant countries have to answer as a group or individually, and not one country can just give an instant reply because mediation involves all of the claimants and nonclaimants,” he said.