Pinagsisisihan umano ng United States Embassy sa Manila ang ‘inconvenience’ na nilikha ng pahayag ni Ambassador Philip Goldberg hinggil sa pagkakakuha ng Pilipinas ng $24 billion investment sa China.

Una nang sinabi ni Goldberg na bago pa man magtungo sa China si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, bumisita na doon sina Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano at Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Sinabi ni Goldberg na “well organized” ang biyahe ng dalawa na hindi isinapubliko.

“I don’t think this has been revealed publicly, but I know, that Senator Cayetano, President Duterte’s running mate, made an unpublicized trip to China in June along with Secretary Tugade,” ayon kay Goldberg. “All of this actually were in train, I think. There were already discussions going on.”

VP Sara, tahasang iginiit na hindi niya binoto si Romuadlez

Ito umano ang dahilan kaya’t hindi na nagulat si Goldberg sa nakuhang investment sa China.

Ang biyahe ay mariing pinabulaanan ni Tugade.

“If, in the end, Secretary Tugade did not join Senator Cayetano’s trip to China, we regret any inconvenience,” ayon kay US Embassy Press Attache Molly Koscina.

Samantala, hindi rin umano batid ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) ang sinasabing biyahe nina Tugade at Cayetano.

“The DFA has no information on those trips,” ayon kay Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Charles Jose. (Roy C. Mabasa)