There was no commitment under the Duterte administration to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
This was the reaction of the former executive secretary of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Salvador Medialdea, in relation to the accusation from Duterte’s critics, particularly from the progressive Makabayan bloc, that the former President allegedly made an agreement with China to end the country’s war.
The former official also insisted that Duterte never made such a promise even as a joke and even though he asked for better relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his administration.
Medialdea further explained that the former President knows that the BRP Sierra Madre is the symbol of our sovereignty in the area.
Although the former official clarified that he has not yet spoken to Duterte about the accusation, he said that the former chief executive never made such promises to our recollection.
The accusation against Duterte, who served as President of the Republic of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, is due to his foreign policy of distancing himself from the United States, a long-time ally of the Philippines, and instead promoting close ties with China.
It can be recalled that the issue of removing the BRP Sierra Madre took root after the incident in Ayungin shoal on August 5 where the China Coast Guard blocked and water bombed the PH resupply boat.
