Tolentino: Philippines not US’ proxy war tool vs China

Senator Francis Tolentino on Sunday said the Philippines was not being used as a “proxy war” tool by the United States or any other country against China.

Amid the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, the lawmaker pointed out that the Philippines was not only an ally of the US, but also of many other nations, including Japan, Australia, and several European countries.

“Hindi proxy war kasi hindi lang naman US ang kaalyado natin dito eh. Kaalyado natin ang Japan, kaalyado natin ang Australia, kaalyado natin ang UK, kaalyado natin ang Europe… Lumantad na ang India. So, halos lahat,” Tolentino said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(It's not a proxy war because the US is not our only ally here. Japan, Australia, the UK, and Europe are our allies too. Almost all countries are.)

“Siguro ngayon baka dahil doon sa nilabas na 10-dash line baka maging vocal na rin po ang Brunei Darussalam. I’m not jumping the gun, baka Malaysia and Indonesia na naging bahagi din ng kanilang sinasabing 10-dash line,” he continued.

(Maybe now because of the released 10-dash line, Brunei Darussalam might be vocal. I'm not jumping the gun, but maybe Malaysia and Indonesia, which were also part of the 10-dash line, would be too.)

The senator was referring to China's publication of a new map that has a ten-dash line, placing nearly the entire South China Sea within its national boundaries.

The Philippines rejected China's 2023 edition map.

According to Tolentino, the Philippines, along with the international community, was calling on China to abide by the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS).

“Hindi ito proxy war kasi kung proxy war ito, eh 'di proxy war din tayo ng Japan, proxy war din tayo ng UK, proxy war din tayo ng Australia, proxy war din tayo ng New Zealand,” he said.

(This is not a proxy war because, if it is a proxy war, then Japan, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand are also using us.)

“No, it’s us with the majority of the international community, stressing that there is a need to abide by a treaty called the UN Law of the Sea and China is a signatory to that treaty,” he added.

At the Intervention during the 43rd ASEAN Summit Retreat Session on Tuesday, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the “Philippines firmly rejects misleading narratives that frame the disputes in the South China Sea solely to the lens of strategic competition between two powerful countries.”

Although Marcos did not identify the countries he was referring to, the US has been one of the Philippines' staunchest and most vocal allies in its territorial dispute with China involving the part of the South China Sea that Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

China has repeatedly called out the US for what it calls meddling in the South China Sea, particularly concerning the Philippines’ assertion of sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea. — DVM/KG, GMA Integrated News