Julia Christine Botin

House leader warns against voting for 'Pro-China' candidates

Article (news)

Ched Rick Gatchalian

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — House Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon of Ako Bicol party-list cautioned Filipino voters against electing candidates who he said have a record of &quot;appeasing Beijing&quot; as he batted for the administration Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate. </p><p>In a statement, Bongalon encouraged the public to &quot;stand firm&quot; against leaders who allegedly &quot;sell the country&#x27;s interests&quot; as he called the May midterm polls &quot;no ordinary election.&quot;</p><p>“We can either elect leaders who will defend our sovereignty and push for real reforms, or we let pro-China politicians regain power and sell our nation’s interests once again,&quot; he said.</p><p>The Marcos Jr. administration has sought closer relations with the US and with Western nations in contrast to the Duterte administration, which pursued what it called an independent foreign policy by fostering deeper ties with the People&#x27;s Republic of China and with Russia.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/11/marcos-jr-takes-jabs-at-duterte-in-pitch-for-admin-senatorial-bets-0040">Marcos Jr. takes jabs at Duterte in pitch for admin senatorial bets</a></div><p>The solon made the remark as the admin bets campaigned Saturday in Davao del Norte.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mLXbeYVwBZk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>“These pro-China politicians let Beijing trample on our rights in the West Philippine Sea. They made excuses for Chinese aggression and questioned our own legal victory in The Hague. Why should we allow them back into power?” Bongalon said.</p><p>“They talk about patriotism, but their actions show otherwise. They welcomed China’s interference, they pushed for lopsided projects, and they even threatened our institutions when it suited them,” he stressed.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/13/bato-blasts-marcos-jr-for-uncalled-for-comments-about-pdp-candidates-1837">Bato blasts Marcos Jr. for &#x27;uncalled for&#x27; comments about PDP candidates</a></div><div><strong>MARCOS JR. BRINGS WPS ISSUE INTO ELECTION DISCOURSE<br/></strong></div><p>Marcos Jr., in kicking off the campaign season, had brought up the West Philippine Sea to differentiate the administration slate from other candidates.</p><p>“Wala sa kanila ang mga pumapalakpak sa Tsina at natutuwa pa kapag tayo ay binobomba ng tubig, tinatamaan ang ating mga Coast Guard, hinaharang ang ating mga mangingisda, ninanakaw ang kanilang huli, at bukod pa roon ay inaagaw pa ang mga isla natin para maging bahagi ng kanilang bansa,” said this week.</p><p>(None of them were clapping at China or were cheering on when our Coast Guard was being water cannoned, our fisherfolk were being kept from their livelihoods and our islands were taken over)</p><p>Sen. Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa has called the President&#x27;s remarks uncalled for and challenged critics to pick up guns and bullets to defend Philippine waters.. </p><p>“[A]takihin natin &#x27;yang mga nambu-bully sa West Philippine Sea (Let us attack those who are bullies in the West Philippine Sea).”</p><p>In April 2024, after a series of harassment by Chinese vessels against Philippine ships conducting resupply missions, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/12/duterte-denies-gentleman-s-agreement-with-china-s-xi-1029">Duterte acknowledged that he had agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping t</a>o maintain the status quo in the West Philippine Sea.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/duterte-china-arbitral-ruling-west-philippine-sea">Duterte calls Philippine arbitral victory vs China a piece of &#x27;paper&#x27; that led to nothing</a></div><p>While president, Duterte often said there was little the Philippines could do to counter China&#x27;s claim over a large part of the South China Sea and that doing so could lead to war.</p><p>Critics of Duterte&#x27;s stance on the West Philippine Sea said the Philippines  should bring the issue to international fora and seek the support of other nations, including fellow claimants in the disputed waters.</p><p>Groups like Bagong Alyansang Makabayan have called on the government to favor neither the US or China and to avoid getting caught up in the rivalry of the two giants.</p><p>Rhetoric typically becomes heated during the campaign season, with rivals often throwing allegations of incompetence, corruption and unsuitability for office against each other.</p><p>Political divisions typically get blurred after the elections, especially during the last years of a sitting president&#x27;s term due to realignments in power and influence. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7wJyoSOkudY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>In a statement, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon encouraged the public to "stand firm" against leaders who allegedly "sell the country's interests" as he called the May midterm polls "no ordinary election."</p>

In a statement, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon encouraged the public to "stand firm" against leaders who allegedly "sell the country's interests" as he called the May midterm polls "no ordinary election."

In pitch for admin slate, House leader warns against voting for 'Pro-China' bets

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In pitch for admin slate, House leader warns against voting for 'Pro-China' bets

Ched Rick Gatchalian,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 15, 2025 12:37 PM PHT

|

Updated Feb 15, 2025 12:47 PM PHT

Read More:

ABSnews

ANC Promo

West Philippines Sea

China

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas

PDP Laban

Rodrigo Duterte

Halalan 2025

2025 Elections

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