One of Duterte’s campaign promises in 2016 was to ride on a jet ski to an island in the West Philippine Sea and plant a Philippine flag. Recently, he dismissed the promise as a joke. Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the Philippines should jointly explore for oil in the West Philippine Sea with “China and other countries” but should make sure any arrangement is constitutionally compliant and does not endanger or weaken the country’s sovereignty. He said energy exploration in the West Philippine Sea must be “between private parties and that we won’t be giving away the deed to the area.”

Romero, A., & Romero, P. (2018, March 3). Palace: China must prove itself trustworthy. The Philippine Star, p. 4.