Cayetano challenges Hontiveros: Prove diplomatic actions are fake, I will resign
MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano hit back at Sen. Risa Hontiveros' remarks that diplomatic protests against China are "a total fakery."
Earlier this week, Hontiveros grilled Cayetano over the supposed 50 to 100 diplomatic protests that Manila had lodged against Beijing over the West Philippine Sea.
Cayetano has refused to bare the details of the protests and insisted that he would reveal them in a closed-door session.
Hontiveros, however, said Cayetano's claims were "nonexistent" and "a figment of their imagination."
"So, challenge na lang. Kung figment ng imagination ko, kasi sa closed door pinangako ko naman dadalhin ko, so if it's a figment of imagination, I'll resign. If it's not, will you resign?" Cayetano said Wednesday, referring to Hontiveros.
The DFA chief stressed that he was sure of his statements about the country's dealings with China.
"Sigurado ako sa sinasabi ko, hindi ako nagbabasa sa script. So siya tanungin ninyo kung mali 'yung scriptwriter niya," he added.
Cayetano further claimed that Hontiveros' statements during the Senate hearing on Tuesday were 80 percent wrong as she appears to have gotten information from the side of the Aquino administration.
"Can you imagine she was saying na China lang dapat ganunin kasi wala naman tayong problema sa ibang bansa," Cayetano said, adding that Vietnam and Malaysia are also occupying features in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
The problem with critics, particularly former officials of the Aquino administration, was that they are "anti-China," the secretary said.
Being pro-Philippines does not equate to being anti-US, anti-EU, anti-Japan or anti-China, Cayetano stressed.
Hontiveros said that Cayetano's answers before the Senate were "vague, evasive and fallacious" as he appears to be "dodging the issue."
"How could divulging the exact number of his diplomatic actions against China, the dates and times they were made, and the nature of these protests compromise our national security? It is absurd. You don't need an executive session for that. I was not even asking the content of these protests but simply the basic features of his claim," Hontiveros said.
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