Lawmakers react to OCTA survey
Several lawmakers on Thursday shared their thoughts on the survey by OCTA Research that seven out of ten Filipinos want military action and diplomacy in resolving the dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
Representatives Jude Acidre of Tingog Partylist, Faustino Dy 5th of Isabela, and Ernesto Dionisio Jr. of Manila said that the survey result was a "good indicator" of the trust enjoyed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in pursuing a diplomatic solution to the sea row.
However, Representatives Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, Raoul Manuel of Kabataan, and former Makabayan Bloc Representatives Carlos Zarate and Rafael Mariano opposed military action in the disputed area, saying the government should declare the West Philippine Sea as a "zone of peace."
Video by Red Mendoza
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Several lawmakers on Thursday shared their thoughts on the survey by OCTA Research that seven out of ten Filipinos want military action and diplomacy in resolving the dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
Representatives Jude Acidre of Tingog Partylist, Faustino Dy 5th of Isabela, and Ernesto Dionisio Jr. of Manila said that the survey result was a "good indicator" of the trust enjoyed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in pursuing a diplomatic solution to the sea row.
However, Representatives Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, Raoul Manuel of Kabataan, and former Makabayan Bloc Representatives Carlos Zarate and Rafael Mariano opposed military action in the disputed area, saying the government should declare the West Philippine Sea as a "zone of peace."
Video by Red Mendoza
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
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NewsTranscript
00:00We can see that Filipinos are uniting and everybody is almost agreeing, whether by diplomatic means, whether by military presence,
00:10that we need to fight for our sovereignty and our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.
00:18And that is a very important thing because I personally think that our friends who have mixed views,
00:28they are banking on the perspective that we Filipinos are in a mess and we are fighting for what is right to do in the West Philippine Sea.
00:44But this survey shows that the majority of Filipinos, 73% if I'm not mistaken,
00:53are uniting to defend and protect our rights in the West Philippine Sea.
01:05And that's a good indicator of how much trust the President and the administration has in pursuing a diplomatic solution.
01:15But at the same time, leveraging, because we can't have a diplomatic solution and we're at the mercy of,
01:22I'll just use the word, a clear bully in this situation.
01:27So we're still pursuing, it's not mutually exclusive.
01:32We're still pursuing the diplomatic challenge.
01:34As you can see, we're always engaging in diplomatic protests.
01:40But at the same time, we're also making sure that we are capable of defending our boundaries, our sovereign rights.
01:49And we could see that with the resolve of our administration,
01:53we are able to reach out to other countries.
01:56And the survey also shows that we should also support our military,
02:02especially in upgrading and strengthening its capabilities,
02:06not just in the West Philippine Sea, but in the entire territory of the Philippines.
02:11There were so many incidents where we were bullied and harassed in our own territory.
02:17So it's normal that this is how our fellow Filipinos feel.
02:21That's why on our end, as members of Congress, budget season is coming up.
02:25We can lobby and we can fight to increase our funding for better surveillance,
02:33budget for our Coast Guard, and other agencies of our government
02:39that need more support so that they can do their duties better.
02:47We don't want war, but it is our right to defend the sovereignty of our country.
02:53That's why some people say that we're small and we can't fight China.
02:59We have fellow Filipinos, like-minded countries who are willing to support our country.
03:04Let's be united to answer these bully countries.
03:10And we don't fight the fights that we can win.
03:13We shouldn't fight where we can only win.
03:16We fight the fight that needs fighting.
03:19We should fight.
03:22Whether we can or not, we should fight.
03:24As long as we have our fellow Filipinos and we're on the right path.
03:27Let's use this to make it a zone of peace.
03:31It shouldn't be an arms race in the West Philippine Sea or the South China Sea,
03:38but a zone of peace.
03:46For more UN videos visit www.un.org