Senator Erwin Tulfo called for a “ceasefire” in the exchange of statements between Philippine and Chinese officials, days after delivering a speech urging Chinese diplomats to “leave the country.”
Tulfo said both sides should tone down their rhetoric to allow negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea to continue.
“We can just declare a ceasefire muna habang ongoing ang negotiations at dialogue diyan po sa COC, lalo na’t tinatapos pa ang Code of Conduct,” Tulfo said.
Tulfo, who recently assumed the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, met with Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro to get updates on the COC talks.
The Philippines is pushing for the COC to establish rules for resolving maritime disputes, preventing miscalculations, and guiding the conduct of claimant states in contested waters.
Quoting Lazaro, Tulfo said progress in the negotiations has stalled due to rhetoric from both sides.
“To my understanding, base sa explanation ng secretary ng DFA, dahil doon sa rhetoric ng parehong grupo—yung banatan—mukhang natigil, natengga ang pag-aayos ng Code of Conduct. Ang target natin, hopefully, in ten months matatapos ’yan,” Tulfo said.
Tulfo added that his office remains open to dialogue with the Chinese Embassy, noting that Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan is also open to talks, according to Lazaro.
Meanwhile, a Senate resolution condemning the Chinese Embassy over its public statements against the Philippine government has been filed. Tulfo said the resolution can no longer be withdrawn and that the Senate has the authority to pursue such measures.
