Duterte cancels Cabinet meeting about China 'hit-and-run': Palace

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<p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATED)</strong> -- President Rodrigo Duterte has canceled a special Cabinet meeting on the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese vessel that has raised tensions in the West Philippine Sea, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Sunday.</p><p>The meeting was supposed to be held Monday after the Philippine Navy anniversary celebration, which Duterte would attend in Sangley Point, Cavite, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said.</p><p>Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi also confirmed the initial plan during a visit in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, the hometown of the 22 fishermen whose boat was sunk near Recto (Reed) Bank last June 9.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Secretary Cusi confirms a special cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow, June 17, where one of the discussions will be the incident in Recto Bank. | via <a href="https://twitter.com/raphbosano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@raphbosano</a></p>— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1140106166845890560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2019</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sec Cusi conducts dialogue with fishermen. | via <a href="https://twitter.com/raphbosano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@raphbosano</a> <a href="https://t.co/yb4Vh4g9NE">pic.twitter.com/yb4Vh4g9NE</a></p>— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1140090907804332032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2019</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">NOW: Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi arrives in Occidental Mindoro to check on fishermen and the GEM-VIR1. | via <a href="https://twitter.com/raphbosano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@raphbosano</a> <a href="https://t.co/QBmmQ1ZoJT">pic.twitter.com/QBmmQ1ZoJT</a></p>— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1140086500886888448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2019</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>&quot;No meeting,&quot; Medialdea said in a text message. He later told reporters that the meeting was &quot;canceled.&quot;</p><p>Lorenzana, however, said he has not been informed the meeting was canceled and that it would proceed &quot;unless told otherwise.&quot;</p><p>Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, meanwhile, said he had &quot;no info on that yet.&quot;</p><p>While Duterte has largely set aside the once tense stand-off with China over the resource-rich waterway, many in the Philippines bristle at Beijing&#x27;s actions in the sea.</p><p>The Chinese embassy in Manila said the crew of trawler Yuemaobinyu 42212 &quot;bumped into&quot; the Philippine boat and then left due to safety fears.</p><p>&quot;The Chinese captain tried to rescue the Filipino fisherman, but was afraid of being besieged by other Filipino fishing boats,&quot; the statement said.</p><p>It went on to say the incident was not a &quot;hit-and-run&quot;, as some Philippine authorities had claimed, because the trawler &quot;confirmed the fishermen from the Filipino boat were rescued&quot;.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/13/19/beijing-downplays-boat-collision-calls-it-ordinary-maritime-accident">Beijing downplays boat collision, calls it ‘ordinary maritime accident’</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/14/19/beijing-to-probe-collision-between-chinese-filipino-ships">Beijing to probe collision between Chinese, Filipino ships</a></li></ul><p>However, the 22 fishermen told a very different story, saying they had spent hours in the water awaiting help.</p><p>They were eventually picked up by a Vietnamese boat and brought home Friday aboard a Philippine navy vessel.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LFzhaXiOKOA?enablejsapi=1"></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><p>The Philippine coast guard has started an investigation of the incident which Duterte&#x27;s spokesman branded as &quot;outrageous and barbaric&quot;.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/13/19/ph-may-cut-ties-with-china-if-sea-collision-found-intentional">PH may cut ties with China if sea &#x27;collision&#x27; found intentional</a></li></ul><p>Opposition Sen. Francis Pangilinan branded China&#x27;s version of events &quot;as fake as its territorial claims,&quot; and called for Philippine leaders to stand up to Beijing.</p><p>&quot;Now is the time to show real grit and toughness,&quot; Pangilinan said. &quot;There is never a time to be meek and submissive before a foreign power that endangers our own people.&quot;</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LOOK: The GEM-VIR1 has been pulled to shore. | via <a href="https://twitter.com/raphbosano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@raphbosano</a> <a href="https://t.co/67lhWZttpK">pic.twitter.com/67lhWZttpK</a></p>— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1140075116367233024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2019</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Duterte has yet to make any public comment on the incident, although Panelo earlier said Duterte was &quot;outraged&quot; by the sinking of the Philippine fishing boat.</p><p>Manila&#x27;s Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said this week that he had lodged a <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/13/19/ph-files-diplomatic-protest-vs-china-over-west-ph-sea-hit-and-run">diplomatic protest</a> with China over the sinking.</p><p>Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Thursday called the incident &quot;an ordinary maritime traffic accident&quot;.</p><p>Geng said it was irresponsible for the Philippines to &quot;politicize the incident without verification&quot;.</p><p>Competing claims over the South China Sea are a point of regional contention because trillions of dollars of goods pass through it, and rich petroleum reserves are thought to sit deep beneath its waters.</p><p>Reed Bank, also called Recto Bank in the Philippines, is within the Philippines&#x27; 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and far from China&#x27;s nearest major landmass.</p><p>Manila won a key 2016 ruling against China&#x27;s claims in the waterway, but Duterte opted to set it aside in exchange for Chinese investments.</p><p>Opposition politicians, as well as segments of the public and media, charge that Duterte bartered away Philippine sovereignty with little to show in return.</p><div><strong>- Report from Pia Gutierrez and Ralph Bosano, ABS-CBN News</strong></div>

<p>President Rodrigo Duterte has called for a SPECIAL Cabinet meeting on Monday to tackle the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in a collision that has increased tensions in the West Philippine Sea. </p>

President Rodrigo Duterte has called for a SPECIAL Cabinet meeting on Monday to tackle the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in a collision that has increased tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

Duterte cancels Cabinet meeting about China 'hit-and-run': Palace | ABS-CBN

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Duterte cancels Cabinet meeting about China 'hit-and-run': Palace

Duterte cancels Cabinet meeting about China 'hit-and-run': Palace

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 16, 2019 12:15 PM PHT

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Updated Jun 16, 2019 08:37 PM PHT

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South China Sea

collision

China

maritime dispute

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