'THIS IS THE TIME'

Duterte to raise arbitral ruling with Xi in August meeting

President Rodrigo Duterte is set to raise with China’s President Xi Jinping this month the Philippines’
landmark victory against Beijing’s expansive claim to the South China Sea.

Duterte’s spokesperson Salvador Panelo confirmed this development at a news conference in

“There will be a time when I will invoke that arbitral ruling. This is the time that’s why I’m going there,”
Panelo quoted Duterte as saying, adding the President wants to raise the ruling given that he only has
three years left in his term.

Panelo also said Duterte will raise the boat sinking incident at Recto Bank on June 9 in order to find a
resolution to the matter. Duterte was also "interested" in pushing for the 60-40 sharing arrangement in
the proposed joint oil exploration in the South China Sea.

Duterte will embark on his fifth trip to China as president later this month.

The Philippines had filed a diplomatic protest with China and said that proper sanctions must be
imposed against the Chinese crew who allegedly abandoned the 22 Filipino fishermen until a
Vietnamese fishing vessel rescued them.

The United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016 handed a sweeping victory for
the Philippines on the lawsuit it filed against China over their South China Sea disputes during the
presidency of Benigno Aquino III.

The tribunal invalidated China's historical claims to nearly the entire South China Sea and clarified
Manila's maritime entitlements.

It also declared that Beijing violated the rights of Filipinos, who were blocked by Chinese Coast Guard
from fishing in the Scarborough Shoal, which is well within Manila's exclusive economic zone, following a
standoff in 2012.

Beijing does not recognize the ruling which Duterte temporarily set aside in pursuit of warmer relations
with the Asian powerhouse. —KBK/RSJ, GMA News
Duterte says he’s going to China to discuss maritime dispute

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday confirmed he is going to China to raise the issue on the maritime row in the
South China Sea.

Duterte is set to fly to China later this month for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It will be his fifth trip
to China since assuming the presidency in 2016.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said earlier in the day that Duterte will raise the Philippines’ landmark
victory against Beijing over the South China Sea disputes.

In his speech before the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. in Malacañang,
Duterte underscored the need to tackle the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claim to the
strategic waterway.

“Yung arbitral ruling pag-usapan natin ‘yan. That’s why I’m going to China. I’m not going to tell you the agenda. I’m
going to China to talk,” he said.

“Did I not tell you before my term ends we will be talking about China Sea. Sinabi ko sa inyo ‘yan I’m going there
because there are now some sparkles na which needs to be addressed immediately. Ayaw ko ng away.”

Duterte has taken steps to mend ties with China in order to tap the Asian powerhouse's deep pockets for much
needed investment in infrastructure and cement trade deals.

He also refused to provoke China into war over the West Philippine Sea, a portion of the South China Sea being
claimed by Manila, arguing it will only result in a massacre of Filipino troops.

Apart from a meeting with Xi, Duterte said he would also watch the FIBA World Cup, with the Philippines as one of
the participants, and inaugurate a school in Fujian province that was built in honor of his mother, Soledad.

Duterte’s mother was a teacher and a civic leader. — MDM, GMA News
AFP warns on Chinese investment in key islands

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday warned that plans by the government to allow Chinese investors
to develop three tiny but strategic islands could "compromise" the country's security.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that President Rodrigo Duterte was aware of proposals for Grande
and Chiquita islands at the mouth of Subic Bay, as well as the isolated northern island of Fuga in the Babuyan
archipelago, but would not elaborate.

AFP spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said Tuesday the government should study the security
implications of handing over the islands to foreign entities.

"There's no doubt that these island features has or have strategic security impacts on us if these were to fall into
the hands of other people. They have a strategic importance for our defense," Arevalo told reporters.

"While we approve of our economy getting a boost... we should also consider the security aspect that may be
compromised if we fail to adequately study the implications of leasing these to foreigners," Arevalo added.

The Philippine Navy had earlier expressed its concerns about the supposed investment by the Chinese in these
islands.

"We have learned lessons in the past na there were features that were not, dahil nga limitado capability natin,
hindi natin nabantayan ng maayos and we are trying to avoid any similar situation na wala na tayong
magagawa," Navy spokesman Captain Jonathan Zata said on Monday.

Duterte has overseen improved economic ties with China since being elected president in 2016, when he set aside
a sovereignty dispute over islands and waters in the South China Sea that Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

This has led to a robust influx of Chinese investment in the Philippines, particularly in offshore gaming firms
catering to China that have drawn several thousand Chinese workers to Metro Manila.

Apart from the islands, Arevalo said the military was "definitely alarmed" at the rise in the number of Chinese
workers in the country, including "reports that tourists are taking pictures of our naval installations."

"We need to determine what is the real purpose of their presence here," the military official added.

Panelo stressed Tuesday that the island investments were "mere plans" at this time, adding it was the job of the
military and defense establishments "to see if there is any security concern on any issue." — Agence France-Presse