House to summon Duterte admin execs over ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with China

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (Photo from House of Representatives)

MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said committees will invite past administration officials to shed light on the supposed gentleman’s agreement entered by then president Rodrigo Duterte with China, amid contradicting statements.

Romualdez, in a briefing on Monday, was asked if the House will find time to hold the hearings on the gentleman’s agreement — supposedly meant to maintain the status quo on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) — before Congress goes on a sine-die adjournment by May 24.

Romualdez said  the House leadership, including the committees that will tackle the issue, have already discussed this, adding that they will try to “ferret out the truth” during the incoming hearings.

 “Yes, we have already discussed this amongst the House leadership and with the committee chairmen involved, so we’ll try to ferret out the truth with what really happened, because our President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) said he was horrified, so are we because it is disappointing that they had a gentleman’s agreement — although some say it’s true, some say it does not exist.  So we should know what the truth is because that is what China is invoking,” he said.

“Past officials […] we’ll start with the past officials, because they are responsible for executing agreements […] maybe their Foreign Affairs officials, the executive secretary, to ask if there was an executive order.  And those who said that there was a gentleman’s agreement — because there is a former press secretary who said it exists, and another said it does not,” Romualdez added.

Romualdez said it seems officials of the past administration have tricked China and are now playing tricks on each other.

“So ano ba talaga?  Nabubudol-budol na naman — binudol na nga nila ‘yong Tsina, ngayon nagbubudulan sila d’yan sa loob ng dating gabinete,” he noted.

(So what is the truth?  It’s another deceitful scheme — they tricked China, and now those inside the former Cabinet are tricking themselves.)

It was Duterte’s former presidential spokesperson, lawyer Harry Roque, who confirmed to reporters last March 27 that Duterte and China had a deal to maintain the status quo in the WPS.

Roque mentioned this when asked why China has been aggressive when Philippine vessels conduct resupply missions to troops stationed in BRP Sierra Madre, a Navy ship deliberately ran aground Ayungin Shoal.

The former spokesperson surmised that China may have been acting this way because the Philippines is no longer maintaining the agreement, although he himself admitted that the deal was non-binding and cannot apply under President Marcos’ term.

Roque’s claim, however, was eventually countered by another former presidential spokesperson — ex-chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo, who said that Duterte did not enter into such an agreement with China.

Duterte eventually admitted that there was a status quo gentleman’s agreement with China.

President Marcos last April 13, on the tail end of his official visit to the United States, asked Duterte about what was given up in his deal with China 

According to Marcos, Duterte and his past officials should clarify matters because it would explain why friends from China have been irritated with the Philippines’ actions over the WPS.