Iginiit ni dating Pangulo at ngayon ay Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo na hindi nangyari sa kanyang termino ang pagtatayo ng China ng imprastraktura sa West Philippine Sea kundi sa panahon ng pumalit sa kanya na si dating Pangulong Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
Sa isang press conference kahapon, ilang ulit na sinabi ni Arroyo na sa panahon ni Aquino nangyari ang pagtatayo ng imprastraktura ng China sa pinag-aagawang teritoryo.
“Built during the previous administration!” saad ng nakangiti na si Arroyo.
Ayon kay Arroyo hindi kinuwestyon ng China ng ipasa ng kanyang administrasyon ang Philippines’ Baselines Law.
“China didn’t file a protest and they even recognized our 200-mile exclusive economic zone,” dagdag pa ng dating lider ng bansa. “As far as China is concerned, we should be more focused on our economic relations and be able to transcend such issues.”
Dagdag pa nito: “Let’s continue with our economic ties and transcend the matter between us.”
Nagpatawag ng press conference si Arroyo para sa launching ng primer na ginawa ni Atty. Estelito Mendoza kaugnay ng isyu ng West Philippine Sea. May titulo itong The Ocean Space or the Maritime Area of the Philippines.
“To me, up to now it (Manila’s maritime protest) is a source of enquiry on why we filed the arbitral claim. It was provoked by the arbitral claim of the Philippines,” ani Mendoza.
Kung nanalo umano tayo sa laban sa The Hague, ang China naman ang nananalo sa pag-ukupa sa pinag-aagawang teritoryo.
“In effect, we were fighting in The Hague, but China was winning the seas. Before, I don’t remember China having such claims as nine-dash line,” dagdag pa ni Mendoza.
Ani Mendoza walang ganitong problema ang bansa noong panahon ni Arroyo.
“Under the Arroyo administration, there was relatively peace and quiet with China. And not just that, there was also cooperation (even with Vietnam as shown by JMSU). There was cooperation, not necessarily war, and perhaps it was the best solution,” ani Mendoza.
Noong panahon ni Arroyo ay kinuwestyon sea Korte Suprema ang pinasok nitong Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking kasama ang China at Vietnam.
“The language, it was without prejudice to the filing of a protest. And since it was just a research survey, it does not affect the respective positions of the countries on issues related to the claim,” paliwanag ni Arroyo.