Pacquiao: No to bullying in South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Manny Pacquiao made public yesterday his position regarding the West Philippine Sea, saying that China and the Philippines respect each other, but bullying should be out of the question.

“We must protect our country and fight for our rights. We must always look after the best interest of our people,” the presidential aspirant told reporters during the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Manila.

Should he win the presidency next year, the Filipino boxing champion vowed that his administration would assert the country’s territorial rights over the waters without necessarily being adversarial.

“That doesn’t mean we will allow them to belittle our country. We don’t need to fight against anybody. We must be friends with them also. But we should not allow them to abuse us,” Pacquiao said.

“Let is remember this line in our national anthem: to die for you (our country). So, we should be willing to fight for our country. Let’s not allow others to bully us. Like me, I did not allow my bigger opponents to bully me, as you have seen in my boxing career,” the former Sarangani congressman added, noting that Filipinos don’t have to choose between two superpowers – China and the US.

Exercise caution

Meanwhile, Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez called for “sobriety” in public discussions over the highly sensitive issue, raising concerns that aggressive military moves may only result in a conflict that is not necessary good and beneficial for both parties.

“There are economic repercussions if we continue to insist that China give in to our demand for them to get off our waters. Let us not forget that China is the Philippines’ biggest export and import partner,” she said.

“Our economic ties are both our strength and vulnerability. We are not even talking about loans or vaccines,” Gomez added, noting that in March 2021 alone, the Philippines exported $1.8 billion and imported $1.2 billion to and from China.

She stressed that while it is easy for the general public to focus on Beijing’s aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea, people should at the same time “look at the broader picture if the country continues to agitate China.”

Gomez recalled that in 2012, amid the standoff in Scarborough Shoal, the country experienced China’s economic backlash when it refused banana exports from the Philippines.