Loren defends Duterte against claims of subservience to China

Senator Loren Legarda on Sunday defended the government from criticisms of subservience to China, saying it is only natural for the Duterte administration to exhaust all diplomatic means to resolve the tension in the West Philippine Sea.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, said it is unfair to compare President Duterte’s foreign policy to that of previous administrations which she noted also had difficulties in dealing with China.

Legarda said she believes the Duterte government is on the right track in keeping communication lines with Beijing open.

“Yes, I think we are doing all we can. Wala namang administration na naka solve dito (sa problemang ito). So we cannot expect this administration to solve this now, when the others in the past were also not able to solve it,” Legarda said in an interview over Radio DZBB.

“Territory is a very thorny issue. We are not the only claimant nation, right? We don’t expect a two-year-old administration to solve what in the past decades, the past administrations could not solve,” she said.

As to why her committee has not launched a Senate inquiry into China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea, Legarda said she could hold one hearing even during the congressional break but hear only the resolutions that have been filed with her panel.