Sara Duterte’s ‘silence’ on China’s hostility in West PH Sea hit

Vice President Sara Duterte is urged to make her position known regarding aggressive actions against the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea. On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the Akbayan Party criticized Duterte’s “deafening silence” about the matter. Marianne Bermudez/Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—What is Vice President Sara Duterte’s stance on China’s aggressive actions against the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea?

A “deafening silence,” according to Akbayan Party head Rafaela David, as she challenged the country’s No. 2 leader to speak up and make her position known amid the persistent hostility of China in the disputed waters.

In a statement, David said Duterte should “show some courage” and “defend” the country’s sovereignty instead of using her voice to defend Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder and alleged rapist Apollo Quiboloy.

“The Filipino people need real leaders, not traitors. The deafening silence of Vice President Duterte speaks volumes about her priorities,” the Akbayan Party president said Tuesday.

“While she rushes to the defense of the morally questionable, she turns a blind eye to the plight of Filipinos facing aggression in our own waters. It’s time for VP Sara to show some courage and defend our sovereignty rather than seeking refuge in a traitorous silence that betrays the trust of the Filipino people,” she added.

Last March 12, Duterte showed up at a rally in Liwasang Bonifacio to support Quiboloy. She said that the congressional investigation on the sect leader, who is on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, was a “trial by publicity.” For her, the alleged crimes hurled against Quiboloy were slanderous.

“It’s bewildering how Vice President Duterte can find the time and energy to defend a disgraced figure like Quiboloy yet [can remain] eerily silent when our own countrymen and women are under attack by a foreign aggressor. Is her allegiance to justice selective, or does she simply lack the courage to stand up to China? Either way, it is despicable,” David lamented.

On Mach 23, China Coast Guard (CCG) again fired a water cannon at a Philippine vessel en route to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea for a rotation and resupply mission.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the supply vessel sustained “heavy damage,” while some military service members sustained injuries due to the continued high-power water blasting of the CCG.

In November and December 2023, Philippine resupply boats bound for Ayungin Shoal came under similar attacks from the Chinese.

Last month, a CCG vessel pointed a military-grade laser at a patrol ship of the Philippine Coast Guard that was en route to Ayungin, causing temporary blindness among some of the crew members.

Early this month, a Chinese ship collided with a Philippine vessel, which resulted in the injury of Western Command chief Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos and four Navy personnel who were onboard. The collision happened as the CCG tried to block the Philippine resupply boat from reaching Ayungin.