The Duterte administration was accused on Tuesday by a lawmaker of accommodating the caprices of China in a reprise of what then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did. “It can really be seen that [the government has] indeed capitulated. We are giving in to the whims of China,” Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano said on Tuesday. Alejano cited the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) granting Beijing’s request to survey Benham Rise as reminiscent of the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) deal struck by the former leader with China during her presidency.

Villanueva, R. U. (2018, January 17). Govt letting China survey Benham Rise 'capitulation'. The Manila Times, p. A3.