President Rodrigo Duterte resigns to the fact that the government cannot stop Chinese fishermen from fishing within the Philippine exclusive economic zone because Filipinos get frienship benefits from them, his spokesperson said Wednesday. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo defended Duterte’s statement that Chinese fishermen cannot be barred from fishing in Recto Bank because “we’re friends.”

Duterte yields to China fishing in PHL sea for friendship perks we get. (2019, June 27). Daily Guardian, p. 12.