Paolo defends VP's silence on China issue

DAVAO City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte defended his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, after Akbayan lashed out at her “deafening silence” about the Chinese water cannon attack on a Philippine supply vessel heading to Ayungin Shoal.

“The question on the actions of Chinese vessels in the WPS (West Philippine Sea) should be directed at the chief architect of foreign policy — the Secretary of National Defense and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs,” Representative Duterte said in a statement on Wednesday.

Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte

“It is not the job of the Vice President or the Secretary of the Department of Education to demonize China or any country for that matter,” Duterte said.

In an earlier statement, Akbayan Party President Rafaela David said it was “bewildering” how Vice President Duterte could “find the time and energy to defend” Pastor Apollo Quiboloy [but] “eerily silent when our own countrymen… are under attack by a foreign aggressor.”

In a statement, David said: “The Filipino people need real leaders, not traitors. The deafening silence of Vice President Duterte speaks volumes about her priorities. It’s time for VP Sara to show some courage and defend our sovereignty rather than seeking refuge in a traitorous silence.”

The incident prompted the Department of Foreign Affairs to summon the charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy “to convey the Philippines’ strong protest against the aggressive actions undertaken by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia against the rotation and resupply mission undertaken by the Philippines.”