GRACE POE ON WEST PHILIPPINE SEA

It's time that we assert our sovereignty and protect our territory. Pinahahalagahan natin ang mabuting relasyon sa China, pero ang magkakaibigan ay nagbibigay ng proteksyon sa kaalyado, hindi nanlalamang.

Any discussion or agreements on joint development should proceed from the assumption that the West Philippine Sea is our territory, and that allies should respect each other's sovereignty. To remove any doubts that such agreements are not detrimental to the interest of Filipinos, they should be made transparent.

We should push and persist before the last clam is harvested, the last coral reef is destroyed, the last atoll is reclaimed on a territory which is rightfully ours.