Senator Koko Pimentel commended Friday government’s decision to cancel plans to send the Philippine Navy in the Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) after The Hague ruling in 2016 as President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a soft-landing approach on the issue to avoid offending China. For Pimentel, Duterte’s reported directive was a “good call.”ADVERTISEMENT“For me it was a good call. Otherwise, tensions might have escalated to beyond a controllable point,” the senator told reporters in a text message. But he said he decided to call off the deployment after Duterte warned his Cabinet members at that time against offending China. /kgaRELATED STORYChina Coast Guard shoo away Filipino TV news crew from Panatag ShoalADVERTISEMENTRead Next

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 23, 2018 07:41 UTC