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Philippines should not have a misplaced 'debt of gratitude' to China - senator

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Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Philippines should not have a &quot;misplaced&quot; feeling of indebtedness to China, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said Thursday after President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s remark that Manila owes the Asian giant for its aid, including donated COVID-19 vaccines.&quot;The Philippines should be grateful for China’s assistance to fight COVID [through] our vaccination program. Nevertheless, we did pay for it and we should not have a misplaced utang na loob to China,&quot; Recto told ABS-CBN News in a text message.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/29/21/duterte-china-west-philippine-sea-covid-vaccine">Duterte: Philippines grateful to China, but West Philippine Sea &#x27;cannot be bargained&#x27;</a></li></ul>Recto said China&#x27;s continuing incursions in the Philippines&#x27; exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea have resulted to displaced fishermen and reduced sources of food supply.&quot;China has taken away our ability to utilize resources in our exclusive economic zone and have destabilized the region by building military outpost in West [Philippine] Sea,&quot; he said.&quot;No one wants trouble with China, only mutual respect. Philippines should work with our allies for us to regain resources, needed by Filipinos in our exclusive economic zone,&quot; he added.Sen. Grace Poe, meanwhile, said the country&#x27;s friendship with other countries &quot;must pave the way for common respect and rules-based approach in maintaining peace and stability in our waters.&quot;&quot;As we continue to raise our voices against the threats to our waters, our government must not renege on patrolling [the West Philippine Sea] to ensure that Filipino fishermen are secure as they venture into the common fishing grounds for livelihood,&quot; Poe said in a statement.&quot;Our presence in the West Philippine Sea is an unyielding display that we are standing our ground on what is ours and securing our people&#x27;s productive access to our marine resources,&quot; she said.In a televised public briefing late Wednesday, Duterte said the Philippines holds a &quot;debt of gratitude&quot; to China, noting the one million COVID-19 vaccine doses it has donated.&quot;I’m stating it for the record, we do not want war with China. China is a good friend. Mayroon tayong utang na loob na marami pati ‘yong bakuna natin,&quot; Duterte said.Although, he said the Philippines&#x27; territorial waters cannot be bargained.A 2016 ruling of the UN-backed arbitration court in The Hague invalidated China&#x27;s sweeping claims over almost the entire South China Sea, of which the West Philippine Sea is a part.The Philippines has taken a tough tone in recent weeks over the lingering presence of hundreds of Chinese boats in its EEZ, reviving tensions that had eased due to Duterte&#x27;s close ties with Beijing.The Philippine Coast Guard and the fisheries bureau have started maritime exercises inside the country&#x27;s 200-mile EEZ, boosting presence to counter the &quot;threatening&quot; presence of Chinese boats.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/29/21/bfar-filipino-fishermen-swarm-west-philippine-sea">BFAR urges Filipino fishermen to swarm West PH Sea</a></li></ul>Duterte forged friendlier relations with China upon assuming power in 2016, temporarily setting aside the arbitration award in favor of economic aid and investments.<div>RELATED VIDEO:</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1645990" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The Philippines should not have a "misplaced" feeling of indebtedness to China, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said Thursday after President Rodrigo Duterte's remark that Manila owes the Asian giant for its aid, including donated COVID-19 vaccines.

The Philippines should not have a "misplaced" feeling of indebtedness to China, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said Thursday after President Rodrigo Duterte's remark that Manila owes the Asian giant for its aid, including donated COVID-19 vaccines.

Philippines should not have a misplaced 'debt of gratitude' to China - senator

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Philippines should not have a misplaced 'debt of gratitude' to China - senator

Sherrie Ann Torres,

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 29, 2021 02:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Senate

Ralph Recto

Grace Poe

China

West Philippine Sea

Rodrigo Duterte

maritime row

sea row

defense

diplomacy

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