“The West Philippine Sea will freeze over first before China will even begin toying with the idea of giving us back those islands,” Senator Grace Poe said on Thursday in response to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque’s statement over China’s militarization in the disputed South China Sea, locally called West Philippine Sea.
The Senator said that Roque is “wishful thinking” that China would eventually return the islands claimed by the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea.
“Thus, Secretary Roque’s wishful thinking is like saying that a homeowner may soon be thankful to a gang of fully armed men who unlawfully intruded his place for sometime and made it their safehouse, which in effect prevented other criminals from ransacking the same. And this comes with false hopes that the gang members will decide to give the house back if they have not yet transferred the title under their name,” Poe said.
Roque earlier said that there will come a time that the Philippines will “thank” China one day for the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea.
[READ: PH to thank China for man-made islands when they ‘leave’ – Roque]
“Clearly, eventually, those artificial islands will be ours if we can ask China to leave the islands,” Roque said in an interview on February 7, posted on his Facebook page.
“There will come a time when China’s might had ceased when we will have to thank them for the islands because it is only the Philippines the can legally build on those artificial islands,” Roque added.
For the record, the Liberal Party (LP) of the Philippines has earlier expressed deep concern on Duterte administration’s “nonchalant attitude” on China’s militarization in the disputed South China Sea.
[READ: LP slams Duterte admin’s ‘nonchalant attitude’ over militarization in South China Sea]
LP President Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan reminded the government of its “sacred core duty” to protect the country’s territory on behalf of its people.
“That’s why we are deeply troubled that instead of expressing outrage, Malacañang displayed a nonchalant attitude in playing down China’s militarization of the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.”