PGasia | Concealment and Revelation
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is raising questions about his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte’s, so-called “gentleman’s agreement” with China regarding the Ayungin Shoal. He is particularly concerned about why it was kept a secret from the Filipino people and what the agreement entailed. Marcos made these remarks during a media interview in Washington on Friday, April 12. He pointed out, “For me, it’s clear that they hid something – they had discussions that were kept from the people.” His comments followed the Chinese embassy in Manila’s confirmation of the agreement’s existence, which Duterte had denied.
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Details and Doubts of the Agreement
“Now, with the confirmation of the Chinese embassy, we now know that there was a secret agreement. Now, the second question that I have is what is contained in the secret agreement?” Marcos queried. He further probed, “We need to know, what did you agree to? What did you compromise? What did you give away? Why is our friend China angry at us because of that agreement? What should we do? What does that agreement entail?” The Chinese embassy stated on its website that under the deal with the Duterte administration, Philippine resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre would be limited to the delivery of food and water and would not include construction and repair materials.
Demanding Transparency and Accountability
Marcos reiterated that the outgoing president Duterte and his officials had not mentioned any such deal during the transition period following the 2022 presidential elections. Marcos expressed his intention to speak with former Duterte officials to shed light on what the agreement entailed, though he did not specify whom.
“Let’s ask them. There’s no documentation. What is it about? Tell us what happened. What part did you play in all of these? We need to clarify the situation because the Philippines is being placed in a compromising situation,” he said. “If it’s a bad decision, you’re accountable,” he added. Marcos also wondered aloud why a “very experienced lawyer” like Duterte would enter into such an important agreement without any written documentation.
