Rody’s Philippine Rise visit a gimmick — lawmaker

Opposition congressmen yesterday branded as a publicity gimmick President Duterte’s plan to visit Benham Rise, also called Philippine Rise, suggesting that he should instead sail to contested territories in the West Philippine Sea.

“The Chinese are actively invading our islands in the West Philippine Sea. Why go to the Philippine Rise when the immediate problem is in the WPS,” Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said.

He said the planned trip to the uncontested undersea region off the coast of Aurora “is just a cheap publicity stunt.”

Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque has said the plan was intended to assert Philippine ownership of Benham Rise, which the United Nations declared in 2012 to be part of the country’s extended continental shelf.

Erice’s opposition colleague Tom Villarin of party-list group Akbayan said, “It boggles the mind why President Duterte will sail to Benham Rise when the Chinese are invading our reefs in the West Philippine Sea, which is on the other side. Such is illogical and indefensible.”

He said asserting ownership and sovereignty takes more than visiting an area.

Villarin said Duterte should instead mobilize international support for the country’s victory in the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration, which voided China’s claim over the whole of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) and ruled that at least three Chinese-occupied islets are part of the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Villarin said unfortunately, the President has “burned bridges with the UN and our traditional allies.”

“The Philippines has thus become a laughingstock in our foreign policy engagements,” he added.

Another opposition congressman, Gary Alejano of Magdalo, said if Duterte does not fight for the country’s rights over the West Philippine Sea, his planned visit to Benham Rise would “just mask his subservience to China and his treachery to the Filipino people.”

He said asserting the country’s sovereignty should be manifested in regular patrols of disputed islands, filing of diplomatic protests against encroachments and protecting fishermen in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.