Paolo Duterte defends Sara's silence on China aggression at WPS

MANILA, Philippines — The lawmaker brother of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday took a swipe at critics who have called her out for her silence on the increased Chinese hostilities in the West Philippine Sea, arguing that the vice president should not condemn the recent assaults on Filipino vessels to avoid provoking China.

Rep. Paolo Duterte (Davao City, 1st District) — who last year similarly jumped to the defense of his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, in the face of a grave threats case filed against him — spoke up for his sister after youth group Akbayan Party called out Sara for "turning a blind eye" to Filipino vessels facing aggression in their own waters.

"The question on the actions of Chinese vessels in the WPS should be directed to the chief architect of foreign policy, the Secretary of National Defense and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs," Paolo said.

"It is not the job of the Vice President or the Secretary of the Department of Education to demonize China or any country for that matter," the lawmaker added.

Two Chinese coast guards on Saturday blasted a Philippine vessel with water cannons, injuring several Filipino navy crew members and damaging their wooden vessel — the latest and most extreme confrontation between the two countries in the tense waterways.  

The incident has since prompted the Philippines to lodge its "strongest protest" against Beijing and summon Beijing's charge d' affaires in Manila, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs' statement. China’s foreign ministry defended its Chinese Coast Guard’s actions and said that the Philippines should have long stowed away BRP Sierra Madre. 

Repeated attempts to block the Philippines' resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal, as well as other Chinese vessels' unauthorized activities in the WPS, have resulted in over a hundred diplomatic protests filed by the Philippines against China since the start of Marcos' term in June 2022 to December 2023.

Chinese vessels' aggressive pattern of behavior at sea and their corresponding threats to the safety of Filipino vessels have triggered statements of condemnation or concern from the president himself, lawmakers from the Senate and the House, and various security officials, with most statements urging respect for the Philippines' sovereignty and jurisdiction in the WPS.

Sara, who is also the Department of Education (DepEd) secretary and a vocal supporter of the armed forces, has not issued a similar statement since assuming power in June 2022.

The vice president, however, has consistently interjected into her education policies and pronouncements the need to strengthen the country’s “national security.”

From her request for confidential funds, to her acceptance of a role at the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, to the strengthening of peace education in the curriculum, Sara has stressed the need to recognize the role of education in enhancing the country’s security. 

The vice president has also not shied away from issuing statements on a plethora of local and national issues and events, including national holidays and celebrations. This year, Sara publicly condemned the ambush of a government doctor in Maguindanao del Sur, expressed her grief for soldiers killed by Maute militants in Lanao del Norte, objected to the people’s initiative campaign to change the 1987 Constitution, among others.