Ikinatuwa ni Senator Risa Hontiveros nitong Biyernes, Mayo 27, ang incoming administration ni President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., sa plano nito na panindigan ang 2016 ruling ng The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) na pumabor sa diplomatikong protesta ng Pilipinas laban sa malawakang pag-angkin ng China sa South China Sea.
Gayunpaman, sinabi ni Hontiveros na umaasa siya na sa proseso ng ilalatag na foreign policy, ang kapakanan at kaligtasan ng mga mangingisda ng bansa ay mangunguna sa agenda ng administrasyong Marcos.
“A more assertive foreign policy stance of the incoming administration is certainly welcome,” ani Hontiveros sa isang pahayag.
“But this should be accompanied by concrete action to ensure our fisherfolk have access to their traditional fishing grounds and our forces in the area have the resources, equipment, and supplies they need to uphold our sovereign rights,” aniya.
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Nauna nang nangako si Marcos Jr. na hindi ikokompromiso ng kanyang administrasyon ang soberanya ng bansa at hindi hahayaan ang maritime coastal rights nito na yurakan ng mga dayuhang kapangyarihan.
“Our sovereignty is sacred and we will not compromise it any way…We have a very important ruling in our favor and we will use it to continue to assert our territorial rights. It’s not a claim. It’s already our territorial right,” sabi ni Marcos Jr. sa isang press briefing.
“We’re talking about China and how do we do that? We talk to China consistently with a firm voice,” pagpupunto ng President-elect.
Maging si dating Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, na nagsilbi noong administrasyong Aquino, ay malugod na tinanggap ang mga pahayag ni Marcos sa desisyon ng PCA.
“We are deeply thankful that President-elect Marcos Jr. declared what Filipinos would like to hear: that the 2016 arbitral ruling is not a claim but already a right; that our sovereignty is ‘sacred’ and that he would not ‘allow a single millimeter of our maritime coastal rights to be trampled upon,” ani Del Rosario sa isang pahayag.
Hannah Torregoza
