President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated that the country must honor its commitment to conduct a joint exploration with China at the disputed Recto Bank to prevent a heated conflict between the two countries. In his weekly "Talk to The People" public briefing on Monday night, the Chief Executive expressed hope his successor will ensure that Manila and China will implement the gas and oil exploration deal forged through the Memorandum of Understanding crafted when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Manila in 2018.

Maralit, K. (2022, March 9). Honor exploration deal with China. The Manila Times, p. A3.