Ka Leody to pursue independent foreign policy

Labor leader Leody de Guzman promised on Wednesday that if he is elected president in May, he will pursue an independent foreign policy, saying the Philippines should not get entangled in the US-China rivalry in the South China Sea.

“Ang gusto ko ay independent foreign policy at huwag tayong kakampi sa China, sa Amerika dahil maiipit tayo. Huwag tayong lalahok sa kanilang labanan dahil magiging pawn lang tayo na ipambabala nila,” De Guzman said in an interview with dzRH.

(I want an independent foreign policy, and I believe that we should not take sides with either China or the United States because we will be caught in the middle. We should not become involved in their battle because we will simply become pawns.)

“Kailangan natin isang independent foreign policy at more on economic at climate na mapagkakasunduan [sa] mga bansa na rerespeto sa ating karapatan sa ating soberenya at sa ating kultura,” he added.

(We need an independent foreign policy, with a focus on economics and climate, that can be negotiated with other countries that respect our sovereignty and culture.)

The labor leader said the Philippines should not build alliances with countries that aim to occupy territories.

He said he would also encourage other signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to address Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

De Guzman also promised to ensure that the armed forces had a sufficient capability to protect the country.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan all claim parts of the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely. Manila has renamed parts of the waters that fall within its exclusive economic zone the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, following a case filed by the Philippines, invalidated China's sweeping claims.

Beijing does not recognize the ruling.  — VBL, GMA News