DND ignores Chinese general’s call for decisive actions on Shoal
MANILA, Philippines – Defense spokesperson Peter Paul Galvez on Monday declined to issue a counter-statement to a Chinese general’s call for China to take decisive actions in the crisis spawned by the Scarborough Shoal standoff.
Galvez said the Chinese general’s commentary published on Chinese media “is an opinion,” and “we cannot make official statements based on opinions of [lone military official].”
He urged Filipinos to “understand the whole situation in its entirety.”
“I hope that we be more circumspective [and] really look into the whole, big picture before they make statements,” Galvez said.
“We don’t want anything other than resolving this issue peacefully,” Galvez said. “We are still optimistic that these discussions, led by the DFA, will come out fruitful.”
He said that the Chinese General’s opinion was just one of many and that “there are more peace-loving people who would rather pursue the value of soft power.”
“Hard power has never resulted in favorable consequences, history would tell that hard power is never the answer,” Galvez said.
“We practice extreme tolerance, everything we do will be towards a peaceful resolution,” he added.
Galvez said that they are closing the door on the possibility of armed confrontation.
“We are not looking into that angle,” he said. “That’s not a part that we wish to consider.”
Galvez hoped that “in the future, statements should lead towards peace.”
The Philippines and China are locked in an impasse over the Scarborough Shoal which has already passed its third week.
