Sara Duterte’s Silence on China Poses No Concern Says Bongbong Marcos
BONGBONG MARCOS – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Vice President Sara Duterte’s lack of commentary on China is not an issue.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed on Friday that he is not bothered by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte’s lack of commentary on China-related matters, underscoring that it falls outside her purview to address such issues.
According to an Inquirer report, during a briefing with the Philippine media delegation, Marcos affirmed that the Vice President, as part of his administration, adheres to its position on China’s aggressive conduct in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
This position was reaffirmed in a joint statement issued alongside US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after their trilateral summit on Thursday.
“The Vice President is part of the government. Unlike before. But now she is really part of the administration, … the government’s agenda in this administration,” said BBM.
Marcos said, “[it’s] not the role of the Vice President or the secretary of Education to talk about China. So I think we are all in line because I’m very sure that if Inday Sara had some very serious misgivings about what we are doing in terms of foreign policies, she would bring that [up] to me.”
“And she has not said anything. When we last talked, all she said was that she would continue working, that’s what she said. That’s a good policy. So, I don’t think it is something that we need to be concerned with,” he added.
According to the report, Duterte has notably chosen not to offer any remarks on recent occurrences in the West Philippine Sea, indicating that she has opted for a “no comment” stance, particularly concerning the Chinese coast guard’s utilization of water cannons during Philippine resupply missions at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on March 5 and March 23.
