Watching President Duterte’s “Talk to the People” show Monday night, we were jolted toward the end of his report when he virtually surrendered to China the West Philippine Sea, or parts of it, without the aggressive neighbor even asking for it! Duterte said that since China is in “constructive possession” of the disputed area, it completely controls the place, and the Philippines or any force on earth cannot do anything about it short of waging war. He said: “The issue of the West Philippine Sea remains to be a question forever – until such time that we can take it back. For me, there’s no other way but war.

Pascual, F. D. Jr. (2021, April 22). Virtual surrender of WPS to China?. The Philippine Star, p. 4.