President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former President Rodrigo Duterte FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. stressed that the camp of former President Rodrigo Duterte still has not given a “straight answer” regarding the so-called gentleman’s agreement between the Philippines and China.
The alleged pact between the two countries supposedly maintains the status quo in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
READ: Marcos ‘horrified’ by idea of ‘agreement’ between China, PH on WPS
“We’re talking to his former officials. Maybe not the president himself, but all his former officials. Tinatanong namin, ‘Ano ba ‘yan?’ Ipaliwanag niyo naman sa amin para alam namin yung ginagawa naman,” Marcos said in an ambush interview after the “Bagong Pilipinas Town Hall Meeting on Traffic Concern” held in San Juan City on Wednesday.
(We’re talking to his former officials. Maybe not the president himself but all his former officials. We ask, ‘What is that?’ Please explain to us so we know what is being done.)
“We still haven’t got a straight answer,” he added.
This was his response when asked if he is planning to talk to Duterte regarding the issue.
READ: Año calls China’s bluff: There’s no ‘gentleman’s agreement
The president also said that he is “horrified” by the idea of the gentleman’s agreement, adding that his administration also has no information or idea about it.
“We don’t know anything about it; there is no documentation, there is no record. We were not briefed. When I came into office, nobody told me that there is such agreement,” Marcos said.
“Kung ang sinasabi sa agreement na ‘yan na kailangan tayong magpermiso sa ibang bansa para gumalaw sa ating sariling teritoryo, mahirap sigurong sundan ‘yung ganyang klaseng….I am horrified by the idea that we have compromised into a secret agreement the territory, the sovereignty, and the sovereign rights of the Filipinos,” he added.
(If the agreement states that we must get permission from another country just to navigate within our territory, it would be difficult to follow that kind of thing. I am horrified by the idea that we have compromised the territory, sovereignty, and sovereign rights of the Filipinos into a secret agreement.)