Called out for his remarks on how difficult it was to determine the exclusivity of the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea because “it’s under water,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III last week fell back on the overused excuse that politicians favor these days: He was only joking. “My comments on the West Philippine Sea and its resources was a tongue-in-cheek statement. Sadly, only a few understood,” Sotto said in a mix of English and Filipino after being mocked and ridiculed online for what he told the ANC news channel in an interview. In that interview, Sotto was asked about President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to continue allowing Chinese vessels to operate in the country’s EEZ, including the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.

Tongue in a cheek. (2019, July 1). Manila Standard, p. A4.