Duterte not setting aside arbitral court ruling, says Lorenzana

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. AP File Photo/Pool

There may have been warmer ties between the Philippines and China since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office, but it does not mean he is setting aside the international arbitral court ruling that dismissed China’s case in the South China Sea.

“There is a misperception among us the Filipinos that the President really set aside the ruling, that’s not true,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a forum at Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday.

“He said this many times in front of us that ‘wag nating pag-usapan. Let’s not talk about this for a while. Let’s manage the conflict with the Chinese to allow our people to go back to their livelihood,” he added.

But the President himself said last year he would not press China on the international court ruling amid reports of installation of military weapons on its reclaimed islands in the South China Sea.

READ: Duterte says he’ll ‘set aside’ arbitral ruling on South China Sea

The court ruling last July invalidated China’s nine-dash line that claims most parts of the South China Sea.

Because of the friendlier ties between the two countries since the standoff in Scarborough Shoal in 2012, Filipino fishermen have been allowed to go fishing to the common fishing ground last year.

In the same briefing, Lorenzana revealed that China tried to reclaim Scarborough Shoal last year but was stopped by the United States.

READ: Lorenzana: US stopped China from building in Scarborough Shoal

He also said they will file a protest over Chinese survey ships being monitored plying Philippine-claimed areas in the South China Sea.

“According to our marine patrol they have been monitored mostly in the Recto Bank (and the) Reed  Bank. They have plotted the routes, but you know we have already submitted the report to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to make a protest to the Chinese ambassador. Mag-protesta tayo (We are going to protest). We have to protest because we have to show to these people that we consider those areas as ours,” he said. IDL