KUALA LUMPUR—President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. does not see how Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ proposed Senate decision as regards the 2016 arbitral award will translate into motion earlier than the United Nations.
Marcos made the comment after Hontiveros sponsored on the Senate ground proposed Senate Resolution No. 659, which urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to name out China’s aggression earlier than the UN General Assembly.
“Generally speaking, the foreign policy is not set by the legislation. Generally speaking, foreign policy is up to the executive,” Marcos instructed reporters which lined his state go to right here.
“So, I mean of course the senator is free to file the resolution she wants but I do not know how that will translate into any action that will reach the United Nations General Assembly,” he added.
“The United Nations entertains governments, not parts of the government,” Marcos said.
Senators on Wednesday debated Hontiveros’ resolution, which sought to exhaust all available diplomatic means to assert the country’s rightful claims over the West Philippine Sea amid China’s “reckless, unrepentant, and continuous incursion” within the space.
The arbitral ruling in July 2016 invalidated China’s huge claims within the resource-rich area and upheld the Philippines’ unique financial zone below the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China has refused to acknowledge the ruling because it continues its actions within the space in addition to its harassment towards Filipino fisherfolks. —NB, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
