OVP: Dialogue, not debate, with opposition is best tack in discussing WPS issue

Atty. Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of Vice President Leni Robredo. INQUIRER.net file photo / Noy Morcoso

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President has reiterated that a dialogue, not a debate, between opposition members — Vice President Leni Robredo included — and the administration would be best to resolve conflicting views on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.

Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said in an interview with DZBB on Monday that they are not looking for a debate when the Vice President criticized some of President Rodrigo Duterte’s viewpoints on the WPS dispute with China.

This clarification came after presidential spokesperson Harry Roque challenged Robredo to a debate on the issue  — which Gutierrez said is only meant to divert attention from Duterte’s decision to back out from his own dare to debate with former Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio.

“Ang binigkas ni Presidente Duterte ang sinabi ni VP Leni na nakakabahala para sa kaniya — na bilang pangulo ng ating bansa, ikaw ang unang magsasabi na nasakop na ng Tsina, o nasa possession na ng China, ang West Philippine Sea?” Gutierrez asked.

“At iyong punto ni VP Leni doon sa kaniyang sinabi noong Linggo sa kaniyang programa ay mayroong mga implikasyon ito, na lagpas sa magiging termino niya at ni Pangulong Duterte na matatapos sa 2022. So iyon iyong isyu na gusto niyang tutukan. Hindi siya naghahamon sa debate. Ang kaniyang kinokomentuhan ay ang sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte. So walang kinalaman si Harry Roque dito,” he added.

Gutierrez also noted that Roque’s challenge to Robredo is obviously not meant to clear up things over the West Philippine Sea, but to only divert discussions over Duterte’s move to delegate his spokesperson for the debate.

Still, Gutierrez believes that the best thing to do is for Robredo and other supporters of the country’s rights over the disputed region to sit down with the President and his officials — something that he said Robredo would be willing to do.

“Naaalarma si VP Leni doon sa sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte. Si Pangulong Duterte ba ang gustong kumausap kay VP Leni? Kasi kung oo, handa siyang humarap.” he explained.

“In fact, sinabi na ni VP Leni iyan: na isa sa kaniyang ikinalulungkot dito sa buong isyu na ito ay imbes na ang ating tutukan ay iyong Tsina na siyang nanghihimasok at nang-aagaw ng ating mga karagatan sa kasalukuyan ay parang tayo pa iyong nagtuturuan, ‘di ba? […] Ang habol lang naman ng mga taong ito, maging mas matibay ang ating pagtindig sa pagdepensa sa ating teritoryo, sa ating karapatan,” he added.

Gutierrez earlier sent out a tweet after Roque’s dare, saying that it seems administration officials have a lot of time on their hands as they are able to challenge officials to a debate.

The botched debate between Duterte and Carpio would have been about why the country is not using the victory against China back in 2016, before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).

According to the PCA decision, the Philippines has exclusive rights to the WPS, and that China’s nine-dash line claim has no legal and historical basis.

Duterte made the challenge to Carpio during a COVID-19 briefing last Wednesday, in which he claimed that using the arbitral ruling would only lead to conflict with China, who is claiming a huge portion of the West Philippine Sea.

Instead, Duterte blamed Carpio, former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario, and the past administration for allegedly putting the Philippines in a position to lose the islands.

Carpio has repeatedly insisted that the administration must insist on its victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, but Duterte also claimed he tried to bring up the issue with China which responded by threatening trouble

Gutierrez, a lawyer by profession, also stressed that the next course of action is to file other cases against China as the PCA victory would not be enough to assert the country’s rights.

“Kasi ideally nga dapat dito, mayroon na tayong naipanalo, iyong arbitral tribunal decision noong 2016. Dapat itinuloy iyon, ‘di ba. Iyong iba pang mga disputed na lugar na hindi pa nagkaroon ng pronouncement ang arbitral tribunal, posibleng hinabol pa natin iyon, ‘di ba. Kumbaga, nagsampa pa tayo ng dagdag na kaso,” he added.

EDV