An administration that had officially protested China’s maritime bullying and challenged its massive territorial claim before an international court cannot be blamed for Beijing’s unfettered military buildup in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea, former president Benigno Aquino III said yesterday. He made the pronouncement at a press conference to rebut President Duterte’s claim that the previous administration was to blame for China’s militarization of areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The President had also claimed China’s island-building activities began during his predecessor’s administration and that the latter did not lift a finger to stop it.

Punay, E., & Punongbayan, M. (2018, June 5). Chinese buildup in SCS: Noy hits back at Rody. The Philippine Star, p. 5.