MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Thursday appeared offended by former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, who immediately called on government to hold China accountable after a Chinese fishing vessel hit and sank an anchored Filipino fishing boat in Recto Bank at the West Philippine Sea on Sunday night.
“He doesn’t have to tell us what to do. We know what to do. Dapat ginawa nila ‘yan noon nung sila ‘yung andiyan pa,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.
In a statement, Del Rosario said China, which he tagged as “the neighborhood bully,” must be held liable for the incident that put the lives of 22 Filipino fishermen in danger.
“What is obvious is that Goliath, the neighborhood bully, will continue to rear its ugly head to intimidate our poor fishermen. We need to find a way to hold China’s leadership accountable,” Del Rosario said Wednesday.
“We must accept that Beijing has absolutely no respect for the rule of law,” he added.
In the same briefing, Panelo said the Philippine government will cut ties with China if the “collision’ was proven intentional.
He then called on the Chinese government to investigate the incident and mete appropriate sanctions to involved Chinese crew, who left the sinking Filipino fishing boat.
RELATED STORIES
China fishing vessel sinks Filipino boat after ‘collision’ in West Philippine Sea
Military: Chinese vessel’s sinking of Filipino boat in Recto Bank maybe ‘intentional’
Palace: PH may ‘cut off’ ties with China if Recto Bank ‘collision’ found intentional
Locsin fires off diplomatic protest after ‘collision’ of Chinese, PH vessels
Treat ICC case vs China with ‘greater urgency’ – ex-DFA chief