11-4-2024 (MANILA) Former President Rodrigo Duterte may find himself pleased if invited to a Senate hearing regarding his alleged “gentleman’s agreement” with China, according to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. In an interview on Thursday (April 11), dela Rosa stated that it would be up to Duterte to decide whether or not he wishes to clarify his position on the matter.
Dela Rosa mentioned, “It’s been a long time since we talked and we never talked about that. But knowing him, if he gets invited he would be happy.” He further added, “Knowing his personality. ‘You’ll mess up my silence? Then okay, mess it up, and I will come there!’ We know him. That’s his personality. He’s a fighter.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros previously filed a resolution calling for an investigation into Duterte’s alleged agreement with China. Hontiveros argues that if proven true, the unwritten agreement would amount to a surrender of the Philippines’ sovereignty.
Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque claimed earlier that Duterte’s “verbal agreement” with China implied that the Philippines could only provide water and food to the BRP Sierra Madre, which is grounded in Ayungin Shoal, but not construction materials for its repairs. However, former presidential adviser Salvador Panelo disputed Roque’s statement, asserting that Duterte had not made any gentleman’s agreement.
Panelo, in an interview with SMNI, revealed that he had spoken to Duterte twice during Holy Week, and the former president explicitly denied entering into any such agreement with China. Quoting Duterte, Panelo said, “I’ve been avoiding that Ayungin Shoal like a hot potato because I know it’s a very hot topic, so I did not make an agreement with anyone.”
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr expressed his dismay at the possibility that the country’s sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea might have been compromised by the alleged gentlemen’s agreement between Duterte and China.
