Phl envoy: US should have stopped China

WASHINGTON – The United States should have stopped Beijing from constructing military installations in the South China Sea from the start, particularly in areas within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, said ambassador Jose “Babe” Romualdez.

“Now it’s too late and far more serious,” he added.

Building military facilities, including expanded runways and ports, within the Philippine economic zone was “tantamount to an attack against us” but the US did nothing to deter the Chinese, said Romualdez.

If the tables were turned Washington would not have hesitated to take action, he said.

A Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the US signed in 1951 dictated that both nations would support each other if either came under attack.

If someone builds a fortification in your backyard surely that is tantamount to an attack, Romualdez said.

Several countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines are embroiled in territorial disputes with China over ownership of a number of islets, reefs, rocks and shoals in the South China Sea.

But Romualdez opined that Philippine-US relations are now better than ever.

Presidents Duterte and Donald Trump are cut from the same cloth, he said. Both are straight talkers and want to put their countries first. Also the Trump administration wants the Philippines to be strong, to be in better shape.

Romualdez emphasized that he did not come to Washington with a begging bowl.

“My dictum is not to go around begging. President Duterte doesn’t want me to do that. If I go before the US Congress and beg them to please give us more aid, he’ll fire me tomorrow,” Romualdez said.

He said his marching orders from the President were: “As long as they respect our sovereignty they can advise us. But don’t tell us what to do.”

The envoy lambasted those who criticize the Duterte administration for allegedly selling out to China.

“We would like to see more open relations with countries like Russia and China, but most specifically with China because they are a large economy and they’ve offered to help us in many ways,” he said.

Referring to an immigration reform that Trump espouses severely limiting the number of dependents a single immigrant can bring into the US, Romualdez said he was doing everything in his power to try and mitigate its effect on Filipinos.

Under the current plan the focus is to limit sponsorships to spouses and minor children.

Romualdez said in any talk about immigration, Filipinos in the US have the edge over others because of the great image forerunners have built over the years as reliable immigrants respectful of laws and hard workers who contribute to the economy.

“That is our puhunan (investment). We are greatly appreciated here,” he said.