Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has admitted that he used “not the right instrument” in delivering his message to China hours after he apologized to Chinese Foreign Minister and State Counselor Wang Yi for his controversial expletive-laced tweet that grabbed headlines across the world. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Locsin remained uncompromising in his stance that the Scarborough Shoal and the entirety of the West Philippine Sea belong to the Philippines “not by mere claim but by absolute right and legal victory.” “No megaphone; it was an outburst of temper under repeated provocations in close succession by China against its Philippine neighbor which has kept reaching out for a measure of respect. It won’t happen again. Many, many ways to skin a cat; a cleaver is not the right instrument,” the DFA secretary said in response to the Chinese foreign ministry’s statement calling his tweeting habit “megaphone diplomacy.”

Mabasa, R. C. (2021, May 6). Locsin firm in criticizing China's provocations in West PH Sea. Manila Bulletin, p. 2.