00:00 Lawmakers expressed deep concern on the roughhousing strategies employed by China in the West Philippine
00:05 Sea.
00:06 This is the reason why they are advocating for the advancements of modern equipment procurement
00:10 within the country.
00:11 Danielle Manalistas has the full story.
00:16 Senators stood up during the plenary session and condemned the latest actions of the Chinese
00:21 Coast Guard against their Philippine counterpart.
00:24 Senate President Juan Miguel Zuri said the Senate cannot be silent after this recent
00:30 bullying by the CCG.
00:32 "In China, why is it so hard to be friends and love?
00:39 If you want to be friends with our country, why is it so hard to do this?"
00:46 "In our country, it's called 'tambalus-los'.
00:49 It's different when you talk, but when you turn around, it's different.
00:53 We are so f*cked up in China."
00:56 "Let us always be reminded that what is ours is ours.
01:02 Let's fight and push for what is ours."
01:06 "The Chinese Communication Construction Company or CCCC, a Chinese state-owned company
01:13 that operates here in the Philippines, should be banned in our country."
01:18 Earlier during the Senate hearing, senators expressed the need of buying new equipment
01:23 for the armed forces.
01:25 "We need to buy more ships, we need to buy more frigates, more patrol boats, we need
01:32 to buy air force planes, we need to buy missile systems."
01:38 The senators raised questions on how the government is responding to the harassments done by the
01:44 CCG, and the Department of National Defense assured them that something is being done.
01:50 "Aside from the strong condemnation, actually the counterpart, our DAFA in China is also
02:00 sending aggressive messages against the people in China of the illegal actions."
02:09 The senators also expressed concern over the report floated by Senator Francis Tolentino
02:16 that military personnel are being sent to Beijing to study.
02:20 "We will check and we will ask."
02:23 "But is that true? Is that correct? As we speak now?"
02:26 "I heard about it."
02:28 "So, we will have generals who will graduate from Beijing."
02:33 "This is a sample of us. China is bullying us and yet our military has nothing to do.
02:39 And now, our military cannot face China, so we are sending them to China to study."
02:46 Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri met with US Senator Tommy Duckworth at the Senate.
02:53 Zubiri relayed how the senator assured the United States is squarely behind its oldest
03:00 treaty ally when it comes to protecting the country's sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.
03:07 Daniel Manalastas for the Nation
