Incoming President of the Republic of the Philippines, Pres. Rody Duterte revealed during the meeting with businessmen in the Philippined held in Davao City that he will not go to war against China just because of the Scarborough Shoal conflict. Pres. Duterte noted that he has no reason to engage war against the more dominant China because the Scarborough issue is not a territorial issue but an issue about the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the country.
During the speech at the Davao City Business Forum on Tuesday, Pres. Duterte was quoted as saying “I will not go to war [just] because of Scarborough Shoal. The shoal is not a territorial issue but [involves] exclusivity [of] economic zones,” he explained.
The 71-year-old former Mayor of Davao City said that he will wait for the judgment of an international arbitration court on a complaint filed by the Philippines against China before deciding on his next move against Beijing.
The International Arbitration Court is expected to hand down its ruling in July. Aside from the statement that Mayor Rody Duterte will not go to war against China, Pres. Duterte also criticized the outgoing administration of Pres. Benigno Aquino III for giving priority to acquisition of expensive items such as FA-50 fighter jets instead of using the money for more practical purposes.
“It’s a waste of money. Insurgency is the problem at the moment. The aircraft [FA-50] are only used for ceremonial fly-bys,” he pointed out.
According to Pres. Rody Duterte the said funds spent on he expensive FA-50s would have been used to procure more “fast boats,” and choppers with “night vision capabilities.” With the said high-end military purchases the government forces could have have captured the terrorist groups in the Philippines, particularly the Abu Sayyaf.
“One purpose for buying [them] is to match the air power of China one to one. But beyond Scarborough, there are 300 MIGs… and your battleground will be Palawan,” Duterte said. The FA-50 acquisition was among the priorities of the Aquino administration under the military modernization program.
