Zubiri expresses disgust over China’s radio challenge

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri
—SENATE PRIB

PAGASA ISLAND, West Philippine Sea — “Ito po ay teritoryo ng Republika ng Pilipinas! Kaya kung pwede, lumayas na kayo.”

(This is Philippine territory! So please, leave.)

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri exclaimed these words on Thursday after the aircraft he boarded en route to Pagasa Island received a radio challenge from China.

“Hindi natin alam baka meron po silang sensitive listening device galing dyan sa mga barko nila. Pero kanina nga, pag landing po namin — may verbal warnings po. Verbal challenges ang binibigay….  nakaka alarma na verbal challenges sa aming eroplano,” said Zubiri during the groundbreaking ceremony of a Philippine Navy barracks and a rural health unit in Pagasa Island.

(We don’t know if they have sensitive listening devices in their ships. But earlier, before we landed, there were verbal warnings. They are challenging our plane verbally.)

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Zubiri did not detail what words were specifically used by China in its radio challenge. But in an ambush interview after the ceremony,  he said it is saddening that “Filipinos are being told to leave” in its own territory.

“It’s so sad nandito tayo sa loob ng ating bansa. Teritoryo ng Pilipinas ito, tapos sinasabihan [lang] na ‘Umalis ka dito kasi ito ay teritoryo ng Tsina.’ Talagang nakakagulat, nakaka alarma, at nakaka galit,” said Zubiri.

(It’s so sad that we are here in our territory, and yet we are being told to ‘leave because it’s China’s territory.’ It’s shocking, alarming, and infuriating.)

In the same ambush interview, Senate Majority Joel Villanueva backed Zubiri’s words, emphasizing that Filipinos shouldn’t let China bully the Philippines.

“If you look at history — noong 1980 — nagkaroon ng unang unang eleksyon dito sa Pagasa Island. Tapos pumasok po yung United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea  (UNCLOS)  naman [noong] 1882 and ratified in 1884. Tapos ang China, 2009 naglabas ng nine-dash line. In 2013, naging 10-dash line,” said Villanueva.

(If you look at the history, as early as 1980, we already had a local election in Pagasa Island. Then UNCLOS came into the picture in 1882, and it was ratified in 1884. Then China, in 2009, released its nine-dash line. In 2013, it became a 10-dash line.)

“Ang importante dito ay hindi tayo nagpapalupig. Ang importante dito, buo ang suporta ng bawat isa sa atin at mali ang China sa kailan narratives na nagkakawatak-watak ang mga Pilipono,” Villanueva insisted.

(What’s important is that we don’t allow them to bully us. What’s important is that Filipinos have full support for each other, making it clear that China’s narrative alleging that Filipinos are divided is fake.)

The C-212 aircraft, boarded by selected media representatives on Thursday including INQUIRER. net, likewise received a radio challenge from China.

Despite China’s claim, the Pagasa Islands remain a Philippine territory at least 200 nautical miles off Palawan.