Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario’s hesitation to openly discuss relations between the Philippines and China during a Senate hearing is an indication that all is not well between the two countries and that the situation is serious.
Sen. Manuel Villar came up with this assessment after Del Rosario immediately asked for an executive session and eventually gave evasive answers to questions on Philippine-China relations at a hearing on the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs at the Senate on Tuesday.
Del Rosario was discussing how representatives of the two countries had agreed to separate “contentious issues like the South China Sea and move with a bilateral agenda” when Senate finance committee chair Franklin Drilon raised his hand to ask whether the Philippines “is still open to receiving or borrowing (money) from China.”
Senate foreign relations committee chair Loren Legarda took this as an opportunity to inquire whether the Philippines intends to pay a $200-million loan from China for the construction of the North Rail project that has been marred by legal setbacks.
Del Rosario indicated his preference to discuss the issues in executive session.
Villar joined the discussion at this point, raising his concern over the government’s response to China’s openly aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea, the term the Aquino administration uses to refer to the South China Sea.
An ongoing conflict over the presence of Chinese vessels in Scarborough Shoal, locally referred to as Panatag Shoal, has caused friction between the two countries since April.
Recently, China has also warned of repercussions following the Philippines’ assertion of its claim over islands in the Spratlys.
“We look at China as a friend, as a neighbor, as a partner. We welcome their emergence as… a prosperous country with a strong economy and military but at the same time, we also look at its emergence with hope that China is a responsible nation,” Del Rosario told senators.
“We have disputes with them but at the end of the day we hope… a positive relation and a constructive engagement can be obtained,” he added.
Del Rosario acknowledged that the conflict over Scarborough Shoal “remains unsettled, it remains outstanding. At this point in time we are trying to come up with a peaceful… resolution based on international law.”
He added that the Philippines was looking for a multilateral approach to settle the issue that would avoid the use of force.
“Are we succeeding with your strategy? We are hopeful, but how are things now? Do we have reasons to be optimistic? Are things getting worse?” Villar asked.
Del Rosario explained that the Philippines was engaged in a three-pronged approach that involved political, legal and diplomatic strategies.
Simply put, the DFA wants other countries or “international partners” to help create a dispute settlement mechanism while still involving China in bilateral consultations.
Villar asked Del Rosario if he still expected the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to assist the Philippines in its assertions “or are we in this alone?”
Del Rosario reiterated his request for an executive session.
“It must be that serious, huh? I’m just trying to assess [the situation] because if it’s not too serious, you probably would have answered me right away,” Villar replied.
The senator then asked how the government addressed China’s rejection of shipments of Philippine bananas and its advisories discouraging travel to Manila.
Del Rosario said the moves did constitute a “pattern” of hostile acts against the country “but these would be more apt for discussion in exec session.”
“Let me just say it’s a complex and difficult issue. I think this is not an issue that can be resolved within a short period of time but I think I would like to share with you that the DFA would like… a peaceful resolution of the issues with China,” Del Rosario said.
The added that at this point, it would be easier if the government officials spoke with one voice on Philippine-China relations. Villar and Drilon took turns agreeing with Del Rosario.
Villar later told reporters he wanted the DFA to state categorically “whether China has already stopped its activities that appear to be triggered by territorial disagreements with the Philippines.
“Are there still economic sanctions? Are they still sending troops to our islands? These are issues that require answers. I want to hear whether China has indicated that these are temporary or whether they would be repeated,” the senator said.
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