President Rodrigo Duterte sees execution as appropriate punishment for former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario for ordering Philippine ships to disembark in the West Philippine Sea.
The President argued that it was the fault of the previous administration that the country allegedly lost control of certain parts of the West Philippine Sea.
This is even though the Aquino administration won the arbitral award in The Hague that dismissed China’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea. China continues to ignore it.
“Ikaw, Albert, Alberto, bakit mo pinaatras? Alam ninyo, one day, one day you will be tasked to answer for that, iyang pag-order ninyo, dapat imbestigahin ka… I will execute you by hanging,” said Duterte.
The President further stressed that the award of The Hague arbitral tribunal is meaningless, a position similar to that of China.
“Iyang papel, wala ‘yan… Itatapon ko ‘yan sa waste basket,” said Duterte.
Duterte still blames past administration over dispute in WPS
But Del Rosario did not ignore Duterte’s allegations.
He said China had not complied with the previous agreement to withdraw the two sides from the Scarborough shoal to reduce tension. The Philippines left thinking that China would do the same, but they did not.
“We wish to reiterate that it was China which deceitfully breached the US-brokered agreement for a mutual withdrawal. Why are Filipinos being blamed for the loss of Scarborough shoal and not China and its duplicity?” said Del Rosario.
Duterte’s statement that the arbitral award against China is just a piece of paper is also said to be a “national tragedy.”
“The Philippines is the country which won the arbitral ruling against China. It is, therefore, a national tragedy that the President of the Philippines takes the side of China and believes that the arbitral ruling is a scrap of paper meant to be thrown in the waste basket, to the severe prejudice of the Filipino people,” said Del Rosario.
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