Duterte says he can’t ‘go to war’ over West PH dispute

“It has something to do with my desire to defend but at the same time not to make any move that would be destructive to the nation. I cannot afford at this time to go to war. I cannot go into a battle which I cannot win,” Duterte said. (ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

While he wanted to defend and assert the Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the President said that he cannot take any action that would be “destructive” to the Philippines.

“It has something to do with my desire to defend but at the same time not to make any move that would be destructive to the nation. I cannot afford at this time to go to war. I cannot go into a battle which I cannot win,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in a speech at the 120th anniversary of the Philippine Navy (PN) in Manila on Tuesday, May 22.

The President said that if the country wages war over the WPS dispute, “It would only result in the destruction and probably a lot of losses for our Armed Forces.”

Duterte stressed that he really wanted to do something to assert the Philippines’ sovereignty over the WPS, adding that he could have taken a “stronger but probably a more violent way” in defending the territory.

“In my simple calculation, I would have taken a stronger but probably a more violent way of doing it and I said, in my own estimation, it will be a great loss to the nation,” he said.

The Chief Executive made this remark after China reportedly landed combat aircraft, including the long-range nuclear strike-capable H-6K, in an island of the disputed waters as part of normal training for the Chinese military.

On the same day, Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Vice President Leni Robredo urged the government to file a formal protest against the landing of the Chinese bombers in the region.

In a statement, Carpio said “Any self-respecting sovereign state will immediately formally protest such encroachment on its sovereignty and sovereign rights. The Philippines must do no less.”

Carpio, who is part of the legal team behind the case that the country won against China in July 2016, stressed that a formal protest is recognized by the United Nation’s (UN) Charter as “a peaceful and legitimate response” to a territorial dispute.

Robredo, for her part, urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to take diplomatic action regarding the issue.

“Inuudyok natin ang ating (DFA) na magsampa ng diplomatic protest sa harap ng mga kaganapang ito (We urge the DFA to file a diplomatic protest in light of these events),” Robredo said.

“Isulong natin ang lahat ng diplomatikong paraan para panatilihing maayos ang ating pakikitungo sa ating mga karatig bansa, ngunit hindi nararapat na hahantong ito sa pagkompromiso ng ating bayan (Let’s push forward all diplomatic means to maintain good relations with our neighboring country; however, this should not lead to a point where our country is compromised),” she added.

The DFA earlier said that it was already “taking appropriate diplomatic action” to protect the Philippines’ claims, but added, “It is not our policy to publicize every action taken by the Philippine government.”