Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo debunked Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson’s claim that he was acting like a defense lawyer for China on the Recto Bank incident.
Panelo said that “the perception that my pointing out of certain circumstances surrounding the Reed Bank incident previously unknown to us, creates the impression that I’m acting as China’s counsel, is sheer non sequitur as well as a shallow analysis of my examination of the incident.”
According to Panelo, as a lawyer he was trained to dissect a situation, to arrive at an intelligent and rational study of the whys and wherefores of a subject of an inquiry.
“The Reed Bank incident is being dressed with misplaced emotionalism and pretended nationalism by those who are bent on politicising an otherwise ordinary navigation incident into an international fracas. They hope to succeed in getting the approbation of the nation on a misguided theory that the Administration is pursuing a foreign policy of subservience to China, a belief that is both wrong and unacceptable,” Panelo further said.
Panelo also insisted that while Philippines is friendly to all countries and enemy to none, they remain steadfast in asserting and protecting our sovereignty against any assault and/ or intrusion from whatever source.
The Palace spokesman then appealed to “the major players and kibitzers of the Reed Bank incident, to hold their horses and let emotions settle down, as we pursue to find a satisfactory and principled end to the issue.”
