Military drills sa South China Sea, ayaw ni Digong

SINGAPORE – Inilingan ni Pangsulong Duterte na magsagawa ng military drills sa pinag-aagawang South China Sea, sinabing magdudulot lang ito ng tensiyon sa pagitan ng mga umaangkin sa isla.

Ipinahayag ito ni Duterte sa sidelines ng huling araw ng 33rd Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) Summit at mga kaugnay na pagpupulong dito, nitong Huwebes.

Sa isang panayam, sinabi ni Duterte, na siya ring head coordinator of the ASEAN-China dialogue partnership, makaaasa ang mga bansa sa Pilipinas kung plano ng mga ito na makipagdigmaan sa South China Sea.

“No, because --- it’s not military drills because I said China is already in possession. It’s now in their hands. So why do you have to create frictions --- strong --- military activity that will prompt a response from China?” sagot ni Duterte nang tanungin kung tama bang magsagawa ng military drills sa pinagtatalunang isla.

“I do not mind everybody going to war, except that the Philippines is just beside those islands. And if there’s a shooting there, my country will be the first to suffer. That’s my only in --- that is my only national interest there. Nothing else,” dagdag niya.

Samantala, sinabi ni Duterte na gagawin niya ang kanyang makakaya upang makumpleto ang Code of Conduct (COC) sa South China Sea.

“I’m the country coordinator for ASEAN-China. I will try my best. I made a very strong statement yesterday about the urgent need for a COC so that everybody will know,” sabi ng Pangulo.

Ayon kay Duterte, dapat tanggapin ng ibang bansa ang katotohanan na ang China ay nasa pinag-aagawang isla at gawin na lamang ang parte nito upang maging ligtas ang rehiyon.

“Because when you claim an ocean, the whole of it, then that is a new a development in today’s world. So any sense, it would also change --radical changes in the laws of governing international waters, particularly the right of free passage or the right of innocent passage,” sabi niya.

“And all of these things, China is there. That’s a reality and America and everybody should realize that they are there,” dagdag niya.

“So if you just keep on creating friction, little friction, one day a bad miscalculation could turn things --Murphy’s Law. If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong,” pagpapatuloy niya.