Yasay on sea row with China: 'We are not afraid of anybody'

From InterAksyon (Jul 4):  Yasay on sea row with China: 'We are not afraid of anybody'

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Monday  the country will uphold its territorial integrity and sovereignty whatever is the decision of the UN Arbitral Tribunal on its maritime dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea.

At the same time, Yasay refused to speculate on what would be the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, which last year held two rounds of hearings on the case filed by Manila against Beijing in 2014.

Speaking at the Tapatan media forum in Manila, Yasay recalled that at his first official press conference last week, a reporter asked, “Are you afraid of China?"


“In answer, I replied with a rhetorical question -- why should we be afraid of China? The hall fell momentarily silent while reflecting a collective response,” Yasay said.

He said the words flashed in his mind that there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

“And those times when our sovereignty and freedom were threatened, I sensed in the heart of a country that has witnessed acts of courage and valor in times when our shores were invaded and those times when our sovereignty and freedom were threatened,” Yasay said.

Yasay said he made the remarks not to make any policy statement or lay down a firm blueprint on what Philippine officials do, "other than to emphasize how important for us to make sure that before we make any statements, we have to wait for the decision of the arbitral tribunal."

Whatever the outcome, Yasay said, “We are not afraid of anybody. We cannot, we will not compromise our territorial integrity or sovereignty.”

Echoing his boss' somber statements last week about refusing to engage in warmongering, Yasay said, “it is important to make sure, we hope for the better and would not make any provocative or strong statement at this time that will not help us any bit.”

He elaborated: “We who are engaged in the novel task of diplomacy carry that heart of courage everywhere. We must show it in many areas of cooperation with all nations. We will strictly adhere to the rule of law and be resolute in upholding our sovereignty rights and right of self-determination.”

He underscored the need to anchor work in multilateral or bilateral negotiations with the uncompromising advocacy for peace and rule of law. "And to paraphrase another world leader, let me say that we do not fear to negotiate and we do not negotiate out of fear,” Yasay added.

No speculation on Tribunal decision

The DFA chief declined to hazard a guess on how the UN's PCA would rule, as it promised, on July 12.

“I would hope that our position would be sustained and that an award will be made in our favor. But, I would like to make sure that before making any statements about what the decision is going to be, I would like to first wait for that decision,” Yasay said.

With this, Yasay also emphasized that while Manila is waiting for that decision, “we will not make any provocative or strong statement that will only serve the purpose of exacerbating the tensions.”

It was important, he stressed, to make sure that when the Arbitral Tribunal decision comes out, "we will fully understand what it means, when we say that we have won that decision or we have lost in that case.”

He said there is also a possibility that the country will win some or lose some points.

This is why, he said, the Philippine moves must be prudent at every point, and that it does not "take aggressive actions."

Once the decision comes out and there is a need to protect the country's exclusive economic zone or maritime entitlements, then, "we will act accordingly,” Yasay said.

http://interaksyon.com/article/129913/yasay-on-sea-row-with-china-we-are-not-afraid-of-anybody