DAVAO CITY ––.Former president Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night described President Ferdinand Marcos as the “crybaby” of the United States of America as far as the issue of the West Philippine Sea is concerned.
On April 10, Marcos told reporters “I am horrified by the idea that we have compromised, through a secret agreement, the territory, the sovereignty, and the sovereign rights of the Filipinos.”
In a press conference held on April 11, here, Duterte manifested he was buying peace because he knows the country cannot be at war with China given the capacity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines against China but Marcos believes the US can best help the Philippines given the tension at the West Philippine Sea.
Brushing on any secret deal or gentleman’s agreement, “You cannot talk about a secret deal when you are talking about national security” Duterte emphasized.
The first meeting with China President Xi, according to Duterte, was cordial “Aside from the fact of having a handshake with President Xi Jinping, the only thing I remember was status quo. That’s the word na walang galawan — no movement, no armed patrols there…para walang magkagulo, hindi tayo magkagulo. Yun ang naaalala ko. I don’t even know the Ayungin Shoal (So there will be no war, That’s how I remember),” he said.
Duterte narrated that during his first visit to China, he opened up the plan of the Philippines to drill the oil in the West Philippine Sea but Xi reportedly told him “It is not yet the time of the day to talk about it.” We cannot afford this time to have a war with China, I am so in doubt that the US will go to a nuclear war because it is the end of China and the world.”
The former president said every president has the responsibility to be peaceful and protect his people but Marcos, according to Duterte, has been inspired by the US “If China insists, what can you do? Will you go to war? alongside America? “You are a crybaby, always America, America!” Duterte quipped.
“Do you think if war erupts America will always stand with you? Can you fight the nuclear power of China?” Duterte stressed.
Though Duterte admitted that there was a status quo agreement between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea, there was no gentleman’s agreement.
“I assure you that if it was a gentleman’s agreement, it would always have been an agreement that would keep the peace in the South China Sea,” Duterte told reporters.
Duterte reminded Carpio “The West Philippine Sea issue and the problems of the country is not a chessboard. You are not given a duty to protect the more than 100 million Filipinos.
