Duterte dared to ‘mobilize’ claimant countries vs Chinese aggression
Manila, Philippines – The militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) on Saturday challenged the Duterte administration to rally the other 5 claimant countries of the South China Sea, namely, Vietnam, Taiwan, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Malaysia against the ‘unstoppable’ Chinese occupation of the South China Sea.
“On top of the diplomatic protest filed by the Philippine government against China, the Duterte administration must also rally other claimant countries and pressure Beijing to, at the minimum, cease from its territorial expansion in the South China Sea, while we are under a global health emergency situation,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson said in a statement.
PAMALAKAYA earlier denounced China’s recent developments in the South China Sea, calling it as ‘opportunism’ amid the world being focused in fighting the corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to reports, two Chinese research stations are now in operation in the Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) and Zamora (Subi) reefs – both part of Spraty Islands in the West Philippine Sea. China has also earned the ire of Vietnam when it announced that it would be setting up two adminsitrative districts in the South China Sea – the Nansha District in Spratlys and the Xisha District in Paracel Islands where Vietnam has been upholding its sovereign claim.
“We can rally other claimant countries and put international pressure to China to at least temporarily end its occupation of our territorial seas. But first the Philippine government must redeem itself to the international community for being a known Chinese lackey, by issuing a strong statement of condemnation against China and assertion of our legal claim over the West Philippine Sea,” Hicap, former Anakpawis Party-list solon added.
Lastly, PAMALAKAYA slammed the music video entitled ‘Iisang Dagat’ purportedly to pay tribute to the COVID-19 frontliners. It was recently released by the Chinese embassy in Manila, which features a song written by Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, with Camarines Sur Vice Governor Imelda Papin as one of the performers.
“China has no moral ascendancy to honor the frontliners of the pandemic that actually came from them. The title of the song is a misrepresentation of how China is actually taking over our islands and occupying our seas. They deserve nothing but an international condemnation and outrage,” ended Hicap. ###
