Let us be guided by Constitution on WPS territorial issue — Gordon
SENATOR Richard J. Gordon yesterday reiterated that the Philippines must look to the Constitution in dealing with the West Philippine Sea dispute.
“Let us be guided by the Philippine Constitution which is the bedrock of our nation, of our institutions and of our democracy,” he said.
Gordon cited Article II, Section 2 which states that “the Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations.”
Moreover, he said that while China may have been providing assistance to the Philippines in fighting the pandemic such as sending medical experts, and sending vaccines, among others, which have engendered a debt of gratitude, national interest must take precedence.
The senator stressed that the Philippine government should still exhaust all legal and diplomatic means to assert the country’s rights and resolve the conflict peacefully.
Gordon also pointed to the need to increase coast guard patrolling and monitoring to protect the national territory which is comprised of the “Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial, and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas.”
He also slammed Beijing’s continued creeping intrusion in the West Philippine Sea while at the same time posing as a friend to the Philippines.
“China should be reminded of the Chinese proverb – “A GOOD NEIGHBOR IS A PRICELESS TREASURE,’” Gordon said.
