MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to rally the country’s neighbors and allies to form a united front against China and its actions in the South China Sea. Drilon said it was Manila’s “policy of appeasement and accommodation toward China” that had encouraged Beijing to ignore the Philippines’ protests and continue its occupation of waters well within the country’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone. ADVERTISEMENT“Apart from the protests, which I support, we should, as an objective, get the other nations to confront China, including our allies—United States, Japan and Australia. We must unite against the unlawful Chinese incursion in the West Philippine Sea,” Drilon said. Beijing has ignored the 2016 international tribunal decision that declared its historical claim over most of the South China Sea to be without basis.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer April 25, 2021 21:00 UTC