Since then, Del Rosario said, the "country’s fight for the West Philippine Sea has lost momentum as President [Rodrigo] Duterte decided to set aside the award in favor of Beijing’s promise of economic benefits." The president has said he is helpless to do anything because the military is too weak to go up against China. Del Rosario and other critics of the government's policy in the West Philippine Sea have repeatedly said war is not the only way to assert Philippine sovereignty. With less than a year left in Duterte's term, Del Rosario called the chief executive's track record in the West Philippine Sea "abysmal." "When we reflect on past events, we believe that President Duterte’s actions fit into a disturbing pattern of loyalty to a foreign power," Del Rosario said.

Source: Philippine Star July 12, 2021 05:14 UTC