“Silence gives consent to China’s transgressions. Silence is subservience.”
This is what opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Wednesday as she urged the Duterte administration to be transparent in its dealings with China.
Hontiveros was reacting to Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) statement that it will not publicize “diplomatic actions” amid Beijing’s militarization in the disputed South China Sea.
“President Duterte and his foreign affairs officials have the responsibility to assuage the people’s fears by patiently explaining to the people their foreign affairs strategy to respond to China’s militarization of the region,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
The senator said she would gather the support of her colleagues for a parliamentary oversight on the government’s foreign policy.
The public must be informed, she stressed, while acknowledging that some information should be kept secret.
“The government’s silence and the lack of transparency on its foreign policy response to China do not encourage public confidence,” she said.
Opposition senators have filed resolutions seeking a clarification on the executive’s foreign policy.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV filed Senate Resolution No. 722 seeking an inquiry on China’s installation of missile systems on three outposts in the Spratly Islands while Senator Bam Aquino filed Senate Resolution No. 158 urging the government to clarify the country’s stand on various foreign policy issues. /vvp