Former DFA Secretary Albert Del Rosario. (Photo from ABS-CBN News) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario is puzzled on why Filipinos who are wanting to defend the country are the ones being chastised by the administration of President Duterte rather than going after China which has been taking away land and waters belonging to the Philippines, according to Manila Bulletin.
Actually, Del Rosario responded to the reported criticisms made by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea against him and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio for their blaming of the President on China’s continuous aggressive stance in the West Philippine Sea. In an open letter addressed to Medialdea, Del Rosario maintained that the President is being relied upon by the Filipino people to lead in resolving challenges to sovereignty as prescribed under the Constitution.
“On why is the president being counted upon to lead in resolving challenges to sovereignty, it is because this is what presidents must be relied upon to do. To defend what is ours is also found in our Constitution,” the former DFA secretary said in the two-page letter circulated to the media on Sunday, May 2, 2021. He noted that during the incumbency of President Benigno Aquino III, the Philippines filed an arbitration case in The Hague, resulting in a July 12, 2016 overwhelming victory.