FOR President Rodrigo Duterte, the 2016 Hague ruling is nothing but a piece of paper, denigrating efforts of the Filipino lawyers who represented the Philippines over a case against China’s claim on the West Philippine Sea.
In his most recent national address on Wednesday night, Duterte said that the decision deserves a place in a garbage bin.
“Nag file sila ng kaso, nanalo tayo. ‘Yang papel, sa totoong buhay, between nations, ‘yang papel, wala ‘yan,” Duterte said.
According to the President, he followed recommendations to assert the arbitral award, but yielded nothing — and worse, pissed off amid criticisms and nasty remarks just because he wouldn’t stand against China.
“Pinursue ko, walang nangyari. Actually, sa usapang bugoy, sabihin ko sa ‘yo, ‘Bigay mo sakin? Putangina papel lang ‘yan. Itatapon ko ‘yan sa waste basket,” he added.
Interestingly, his most recent position seemed far from what he said in an international summit held in September last year. At the United Nations general assembly, Duterte said he would “reject attempts to undermine” the Hague ruling.
The 2016 Hague ruling rendered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidated Beijing’s claim to waters within its exclusive economic zone, also known as the West Philippine Sea.
Duterte earlier berated two Cabinet officials for issuing strong statements against China’s continued incursion at the West Philippine Sea, adding that Cabinet members should not be “rude or disrespectful” to China.
Previously, Duterte also reiterated what he aptly referred to as indebtedness of the Philippines to China, which gave the country an access to COVID-19 vaccines developed by China-based biopharmaceutical firms Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm. He went farther by insulting and challenging critics to a debate.