Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares on Thursday hit Malacañang’s plans of asking the United States to send its spy planes to the West Philippine Sea.
“While we demand that we assert our territorial claim against China’s bullying, this resort to the US is not only dangerous but is fatally disadvantageous to the Philippines,” he said.
He believed that “the US will just replace China and control the area once we allow their military to gain a foothold there.”
“Why not bring a complaint to ITLOS (International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) or the ICJ (International Court of Justice)? The solution is to bring the case to the international community and not to the US.”
Colmenares insisted that China’s claim on Scarborough Shoal had “no basis so it will surely lose if we bring the case to court.”