SECRET ACCORD IN TRASH BIN
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has rescinded the agreement secretly forged between the Philippines and China during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In an interview during the 50th anniversary of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) on Monday, President Marcos said the supposed agreement was brought up to him last year, he did not hesitate to rescind the secret agreement.
“When this first came up a few months ago, and it turns out the Chinese are insisting that there is a secret agreement and perhaps there is, and I said I didn’t, I don’t know anything about the secret agreement, should there be such a secret agreement, I am now rescinding it,” the President said.
“So, I’ve rescinded it, if indeed it exists,” he added.
Asked how he intends to hold Duterte accountable for the supposed agreement, President Marcos said that the government needs to find out first what the agreement was about as he emphasized that he has already talked to some former officials about it.
But he noted that he has not gotten “a straight answer out of anyone,” which prompted him to ask what was it all about, what is the content of the secret agreement, and why did the previous administration keep it a secret to the Filipino people.
“These are simple questions, but I find – I’m finding a great deal of difficulty finding answers for them. Because I hear one thing, and another thing, and another thing, and another thin. It’s all very – maraming palusot, in other words,” he said.
He, however, said he does not see it as a liability against Duterte as of now because he has yet to see the actual agreement. “I cannot see how that could possibly be a legal liability. There is no evidence of any agreement,” the chief executive stressed.
The President said that he would love to see the document. PCO
