SA ikalawang araw ng magkatuwang na imbestigasyon ng House Committee on National Defense and Security at Special Committee on the West Philippine Sea nitong Martes, Mayo 21 hinggil sa umano’y gentleman’s agreement sa pagitan ng China at dating administrasyon, present na ang mga inimbitahang dating miyembro ng gabinete ng Duterte administration matapos na hindi sumipot sa unang araw ng pagdinig.
Kabilang dito sina dating Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, dating Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, at dating National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
Iginiit ng tatlong opisyal na hindi nila iniiwasan ang pagdinig ng dalawang komite sa Kamara at nagpaliwanag kung bakit hindi sila sumipot sa unang pagdinig nitong Lunes.
Dating cabinet members ng Duterte admin, iginiit na hindi iniiwasan ang pagdinig ng Kamara
“First, I would like to extend my apologies for being unable to attend the initial hearing yesterday. I received the letter of invitation on Friday, May 17. I had to attend to previously set engagement on May 20 yesterday. Contrary to some statements that we were avoiding this inquiry, we wrote this honorable body explaining our predicament why we cannot attend the initial inquiry,” saad ni Atty. Salvador Medialdea, Former Executive Secretary.
“Like the former Executive Secretary, I would like also to apologize for not coming here yesterday because I’ve been away for a week last week and when I came back a lot of work was waiting for me at the office,” ayon kay Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, Former Secretary, Department of National Defense.
“It is indeed my pleasure and honor to attend this meeting. I could have attended yesterday if I got an invitation. It seems that I was not traced by the secretariat. It’s good that the honorable chairperson sent me an email thru his staff. And I promptly answered last night that I will attend today after a stockholder meeting today,” wika ni Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., Former National Security Adviser.
Sa pagdinig, nilinaw ni Medialdea na walang ginawang gentleman’s agreement ang dating Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte at President Xi Jinping kasunod ng walong beses na pagkikita ng dalawang lider mula noong 2016 hanggang 2018.
Medialdea: Walang gentleman’s agreement sa pagitan ni FPRRD at China
“In my capacity as executive secretary, I was able to attend two of the official meetings between former President Duterte and President Xi. First was the first visit of President Xi in the Philippines sometime in November 2018. And the second was on the official visit of President Duterte to China in August 2019. Sec. Locsin was present in all those meetings. Of these two official meetings I attended, no gentleman’s agreement ever took place between former President Duterte and President Xi,” pahayag ni Salvador Medialdea, Former Executive Secretary.
Duterte admin, ipinagpatuloy lang ang napagkasunduan ng Pnoy admin sa China -Medialdea
Dagdag pa niya, ipinagpatuloy lamang ng Duterte administration kung anong napagkasunduan ng Aquino administration sa China noong 2013 sa ilalim ni dating Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.
‘Yun ay ang pagsusuplay lamang ng pagkain at tubig para sa tropa ng militar na nakaistasyon sa BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin Shoal at ang hindi pag-repair sa kinakalawang na WWII warship.
“The decision on the West Philippine Sea dispute came out on July 12. Barely, 12 days after the Duterte administration assumed office. That status quo in the Ayungin Shoal where BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated warship which has serve as a Philippine Military outpost in a low elevation reefs since 1999 was in a 2013 commitment of former Defense Secretary Gazmin to the Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing that he would only deliver food and water to the marines stationed at the vessel.”
“There was no commitment on the repair of the vessel, sir,” ayon kay Medialdea.
Lorenzana: water cannon incident sa Ayungin Shoal, nagsimula noong 2021
Ayon naman kay dating Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, noong 2021 nang mag-umpisa ang water cannon incident sa Ayungin Shoal dahil sa paniwala ng China na nagdadala ang Pilipinas ng mga repair material sa BRP Sierra Madre.
Pero patuloy aniya siyang nakikipag-dayalogo kay Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian upang maibsan ang tensiyon.
“Now, with the gentleman’s agreement, this came out only when Ambassador Huang started talking about this agreement later on, I think, early last year, about our agreement. But he mentioned this to me during the first water cannon incident in Ayungin Shoal in November of 2021. I remember very well because I was talking to him that night about, he was complaining about the resupply and strengthening of the Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. And while we were talking that night, they were already bombarding our supply ship with water cannons. So, I wrote to him the following day and protested the action,” wika naman ni Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, Defense Secretary.
Esperon: Walang secret agreement sa pagitan ni FPRRD at China
Nanindigan din ang Dating National Security Adviser na walang secret agreement sa pagitan nina dating Pangulong Duterte and President Xi kasunod ng mga pagpupulong ng dalawang lider.
“But I’m not really sure what gentleman’s agreement they are talking about here unless we hear the report of the source of the report itself. Because when we have the bilaterals on October 19. I did not hear anything about an agreement except an open discussion of what the president wanted to deal the Chinese side which is mostly on the just promulgated arbitral ruling,” saad ni Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Dating National Security Adviser.
“The bilaterals ended up in the tune where there was an understanding. That our president has presented the result of the arbitral ruling and it was again as we all know that China did not recognize the arbitral ruling. So that was it. There was no secret agreement,” ayon pa kay Esperon.
Dating Defense Sec. Gazmin at Atty. Roque, pinadadalo sa pagdinig ng Kamara
Bago natapos ang pagdinig, nagkaroon ng executive session ang mga kongresista kasama ang mga inimbitahang resource person.
Pinadadalo naman sa susunod na pagdinig ng Kamara sina dating Defense Sec. Gazmin at dating Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque na unang nagpalutang tungkol sa umano’y gentleman’s agreement.
