House probe formally sought over China’s claim PH vowed to remove BRP Sierra Madre

FILE PHOTO: The Philippine Navy’s grounded BRP Sierra Madre (lower right), as shown in this February 21, 2023, photo, marks the Philippine presence at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. Philippine Daily Inquirer/Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — Several lawmakers in the House of Representatives are formally seeking a probe into China’s claim that the Philippines promised to remove BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal.

The lower chamber’s Makabayan bloc filed House Resolution No. 1215 on Wednesday and asked the House committee on foreign affairs to conduct the investigation, as past and present government leaders separately issued denials on the matter – except former President Rodrigo Duterte.

ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said a categorical denial from Duterte himself is necessary because the rejection issued by former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea is not enough.

“Even if former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea has belatedly tried to deny that it was former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte who promised China that the BRP Sierra Madre will be removed, his statement remains hollow because he does not have personal knowledge between the meeting of Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping and Pres. Duterte in 2016 when Duterte said that they had a verbal understanding at a bilateral meeting and that it is binding, but the details were not released,” she pointed out in a statement.

“Ito ang hirap sa dealings sa China lalo na ng Duterte administration, walang transparency at di pinapaalam sa mamamayan. Ganun din ang nangyari nung meeting ni Duterte sa China noong Hulyo kaya dapat talaga na mailantad ang mga ito at maimbestigahan ng Kongreso,” she added.

(This is the difficulty in dealings with China, especially the Duterte administration, there is no transparency and the people are not informed. The same thing happened during Duterte’s meeting with China in July, so they should really be exposed and investigated by Congress.)

The Philippine Coast Guard complained that the China Coast Guard attacked their vessels with water cannons on August 5 while escorting boats on a resupply mission to a small military contingent aboard BRP Sierra Madre which was grounded in 1999 on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

READ: US, allies slam China for firing water cannons on PH vessels 

After the incident, China claimed that the Philippines has yet to act on its promise of removing the World War II-era warship from the atoll.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. subsequently denied making such a promise, maintaining that no deal has been signed on such a matter — and if there was any, it is being rescinded.

Former President and House Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also denied making any promise to remove BRP Sierra Madre during her term. Similarly, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito maintained that there was no such promise made during the administration of their father, former President Joseph Estrada.

Castro in a previous statement said it is unlikely that it was late President Benigno S. Aquino III who made such a vow because it was him who challenged China’s intrusion in Philippine waters and sweeping nine-dash claim over nearly the entire South China Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration — which eventually resulted in the Philippines’ victory.

Hence, the lawmaker said, Duterte’s silence on the isue speaks volumes.

“Also up till now, former president Duterte, or even [his] daughter Vice President Sara Duterte, has not been heard or issued any statement denouncing China for attacking the resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre nor have they made any denials of any such promise to China,” she stressed.

Former Akbayan Rep. Barry Gutierrez likewise highlighted Duterte’s “notable silence” on the matter and said it “has led to speculations about who exactly might have made this commitment to the Chinese authorities.”

In a statement released Wednesday, Gutierrez said: “There seems to be more to former President Duterte’s silence than meets the eye.”

“It’s striking how President Duterte, who was previously very vocal on matters concerning China, is now conspicuously silent when it has come to light that someone supposedly promised the removal of BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal,” he also said.

Gutierrez, who served as spokesperson of former Vice President Leni Robredo, firmly believed that ex-President Aquino “could not have been involved, considering his history of filing a complaint with the UN Arbitral Tribunal against China during his presidency.”

“If we carefully consider the situation, who was the last to engage with the Chinese President? Who had a close relationship with President Xi Jinping? Who previously mentioned ‘I need China’?” he asked.

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