Senator Risa Hontiveros INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros has called President Rodrigo Duterte “feckless and spineless” before China after the Chief Executive branded the incident between a Chinese vessel and a Filipino boat at Recto (Reed) Bank as a “little maritime accident.”
Hontiveros in a tweet Monday night said Duterte’s comments reveal the former Davao City mayor’s true character and identity.
“Your statement on the Recto Bank hit-&-run incident reveals a lot,” Hontiveros said in a tweet.
“Thank you for confirming who you truly are, Mr. Pres: violent & cruel towards the poor, foul-mouthed & obscene to women & democracy advocates, but feckless & spineless before China. Shame,” she added.
Your statement on the Recto Bank hit-&-run incident reveals a lot. Thank you for confirming who you truly are, Mr. Pres: violent & cruel towards the poor, foul-mouthed & obscene to women & democracy advocates, but feckless & spineless before China. Shame.https://t.co/yZlYteTOCj
— risa hontiveros (@risahontiveros) June 17, 2019
Duterte ended his weeklong silence on the issue in a speech during the 121st Philippine Navy Anniversary celebration at Sangley Point in Cavite on Monday evening. Aside from dismissing the West Philippine Sea incident as “little maritime accident,” Duterte also asked the public to first wait and listen to China’s side of the matter.
“Pero ‘yang nangyari diyan sa banggaan, that is a maritime incident. ‘Wag kayong maniwala sa mga politiko na bobo, gusto papuntahin yung Navy. You do not send gray ships there. Banggaan lang ng barko ‘yan, do not make it worse,” Duterte said.
“Maritime incident is a maritime incident. It is best investigated. And I do not now issue statement because there is no investigation and there is no result. Then the only thing we can do is to wait and give the other party the right to be heard,” he added.
READ: Duterte breaks silence on sinking of PH boat: ‘It’s a little maritime accident’
Hontiveros earlier called for the recall of Filipino diplomats in China following the Recto Bank incident. She pointed out that if Duterte could order the recall of Filipino diplomats in Canada over garbage, he could also recall the country’s diplomats in China “to defend and secure the lives of our fisherfolk and the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
READ: Hontiveros wants recall of PH diplomats in China after Recto Bank ‘collision’
The Palace, however, rejected this call.
“Lahat ng options kino-consider ‘yan. We don’t need the advice of the good senator on that,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
READ: Palace rejects Hontiveros call to recall diplomats to China
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said in a statement that a Chinese vessel abandoned the 22 Filipino fishermen aboard a sinking Filipino vessel in the West Philippine Sea.
The Filipino fishermen were later rescued by a Vietnamese vessel.
READ: Chinese vessel abandons PH boat after collision
(Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)
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