Pinabulaanan ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na pumasok sa isang “gentleman’s agreement” kay Chinese President Xi Jingpin noong kanyang termino kung saan inakusahan siyang inilagay sa kompromiso ang West Philippine Sea sa kontrol ng China.
“Aside from the fact of having a handshake with President Xi Jinping, the only thing I remember was status quo. That’s the word na walang galawan — no movement, no armed patrols there…para walang magkagulo, hindi tayo magkagulo. Yun ang naaalala ko. I do not even know the Ayungin Shoal,” sabi ni Duterte sa SMNI program nitong Huwebes, Abril 11, ng gabi.
“I assure you that if it was a gentleman’s agreement, it would always have been an agreement that would keep the peace in the South China Sea,” dagdag ni Duterte.
Ito ang unang pagkakataon na nagsalita si Duterte hinggil sa usapin ng diumano’y “secret agreement” nila ni Xi na ikinabahala ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. kaya humingi ito ng paliwanag sa dating Pangulo.
Sinabi pa ni Duterte na nasaksihan nila dating Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana at dating national security adviser Eduardo Año, at iba pang miyembro ng gabinete ang kanyang pagpupulong kay Xi hinggil sa naturang usapin.
“I said, ‘Mr. President, we would insist the China sea, or not the whole of it, but there is a part of the China sea that belongs to the Philippines.’ And since I would want to get savings, instead of importing it from the exporting country, ako naman, ‘I will dig my oil there. I just want to let you know,’” sabi ni Duterte tungkol sa binitawan niyang salita kay Xi.
At ang naging tugon ni Xi sa kanya: “I’m afraid you cannot do that.”
“Sabi ko, ‘Why Mr. President? …I will get it from the portion of the red China sea that belongs to the Philippines.’ Sabi niya, ‘Please do not do it for the life of me. We are friends and I do not want to destroy that friendship,’” kuwento pa ni Duterte.