NSC exec: Gentleman’s agreement not binding

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will not do anything to jeopardize its occupation of Ayungin Shoal, National Security Council (NSC) assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said yesterday, underscoring that former president Rodrigo Duterte’s “gentleman’s agreement” with China is not legally binding.

“There’s no need to dredge up this ‘gentleman’s agreement’ just to keep the Ayungin Shoal. Remember the BRP Sierra Madre is there, we are in occupation of Ayungin Shoal and we will not do anything to jeopardize that,” Malaya said at a public briefing.

He emphasized that the agreement only applies to the previous administration.

“Since this was not signed, there’s no legally binding document, the Marcos administration is not bound by it,” he said.

Malaya, spokesman for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, said President Marcos had made it very clear that the Philippines would not be deterred by China’s threats and that it would continue to defend its maritime rights and entitlements in the West Philippine Sea and in other parts of the archipelago.

Marcos said “deliberate” countermeasures would be taken in response to the dangerous attacks by the China Coast Guard and the Chinese Maritime Militia on Filipino vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

The President said he is in constant talks with allies to help secure Philippine sovereignty.

Malacañang issued Executive Order 57 on March 25 reorganizing the old National Coast Watch Council into the National Maritime Council tasked with ensuring a unified, coordinated and effective governance framework for the country’s maritime security and domain awareness, among other powers.

“Now the entire country is covered, unlike before when our focus was on the West Philippine Sea,” Malaya said.

He noted that the Philippines’ proportionate, deliberate and reasonable response or countermeasures to China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea are not purely military.

“The measures cover multi-dimensions,” Malaya said, assuaging fears raised by some quarters. The government, he emphasized, is committed to exhausting diplomatic measures.

“The proportionate, deliberate and reasonable response that the President was talking about covered not only the aspect of strengthening our military or our defense capabilities together with other allies, partners and friends but it also talks about exhausting diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue,” he said.

Meanwhile, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the Philippines might end up losing Ayungin Shoal by force if the Marcos administration continues to pursue the present direction of its relationship with Beijing.

He said that while Marcos is not bound by the agreement between Duterte and China, the President should choose wisely his foreign policy direction.

“So it’s an issue now of wisdom, it’s an issue now of foreign policy that only PBBM (President Bongbong Marcos) can formulate and we will see how PBBM will be remembered in the history of the Philippines,” Roque told radio dzBB. — Alexis Romero