Cayetano’s claim on 50-100 diplomatic protests vs China a ‘total fakery’ — Hontiveros
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday called Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano’s claim that his office filed 50 to 100 diplomatic protests against China in the past two years a “total fakery,” “non-existent,” and a mere “figment of their imagination.”
Hontiveros issued the statement after she pressed Cayetano during the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) budget hearing to divulge the details of the said diplomatic actions against China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
Cayetano responded by saying he would only answer the question in a closed session.
READ: Hontiveros, Cayetano face off over diplomatic protests vs China
In her statement, Hontiveros said, “I simply asked Secretary Cayetano the nature of his so-called 50 to 100 diplomatic actions against China, the exact dates and times when these diplomatic actions were made, the channels and platforms that were used and how many times the Chinese government responded. These were all basic questions that the Secretary failed to answer.”
The senator said Cayetano seemed to be dodging the issue as revealing the basic features of the protests will not compromise national security.
Article continues after this advertisement“How could divulging the exact number of his diplomatic actions against China, the dates and times they were made and the nature of these protests compromise our national security? It is absurd. You don’t need an executive session for that. I was not even asking the content of these protests but simply the basic features of his claim,” she said.
Article continues after this advertisement“Kung totoo ang mga protesta, kung nagsasabi siya ng totoo, madaling makakasagot si Secretary Cayetano sa mga simpleng tanong. Pero hindi niya ito nagawa. Obviously, his claim that the government made 50-100 diplomatic actions against China is a figment of their imagination. The diplomatic actions are fake and non-existent,” she added.
Last May, during a House Special Panel hearing on the West Philippine Sea, Cayetano claimed that the government has filed 50 to 100 diplomatic protests against China since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office.
Cayetano clarified that protests come in many forms and that a simple objection by the President could already be considered a diplomatic protest. /vvp
READ: Cayetano urged to show proof of diplomatic protest vs China
