Then President Rodrigo Duterte is accompanied by Chinese President Xi Jinping inside the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing prior to their bilateral meeting on August 29, 2019. Rey Baniquet, Presidential Photo/File 

MANILA — Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday admitted that he had agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping to maintain the status quo in the West Philippine Sea.

“Aside from the fact of having a handshake with President Xi Jinping, the only thing I remember was status quo. That's the word na walang galawan — no movement, no armed patrols there…para walang magkagulo, hindi tayo magkagulo. Yun ang naaalala ko. I do not even know the Ayungin Shoal," he said.

"I assure you that if it was a gentleman's agreement, it would always have been an agreement that would keep the peace in the South China Sea," he added.

He said the deal involved not bringing construction materials for the repair and upkeep of the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

“As is where is nga. You cannot bring in materials to repair and improve. No agreement, as is where is. Kasi kung Sierra Madre pa lang, if allowed, matagal nang repaired yan. Nakauwi na yan dito,” he said.

Duterte's former spokesman Harry Roque recently divulged the status quo deal, which he also called a “gentleman’s agreement.” He made the statement following a series of Chinese aggression against Philippine vessels on resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre. 

Roque said he had learned about the agreement when Duterte summoned the Chinese Ambassador due to a similar water cannon incident. 

According to Roque, the envoy reminded Duterte of the status quo agreement which apparently also meant no repairs for the ship. But Roque said Duterte’s agreement was non-binding.

Duterte said that despite the verbal agreement, "We have not conceded anything to China."

"There might have been exchange of control over the China sea, pero those were really territorial in nature, not involving the encroachment of China in an exclusive economic zone. Iba yon….Nobody but nobody in the Philippines today, either the Supreme Court, the presidency or Congress can concede anything about territories. Hindi gawain ng presidente yan,” Duterte said.

He added that despite "being oppressed by China," the Philippines "cannot afford a war at this time" with Beijing.

Duterte said that from his first state visit in Beijing and conversation with Xi, he knew that the Philippines could not risk escalating tensions with China.

"I said, 'Mr. President, we would insist the China sea, or not the whole of it, but there is a part of the China sea that belongs to the Philippines…I will dig my oil there. I just want to let you know.' Ito ang sagot ni Xi Jinping, 'I am afraid you cannot do that...because it would mean trouble,'' Duterte said. 

"At ang pagka-intindi ko pagsabi niya there will be trouble, if we insist on our own way there, China will go to war," he said. 

He said he told Xi that he did not want "to spoil everything" and that "maybe we can put it off to some other day." 

"Yung put it off to some other day never came because we avoided that controversy," Duterte said of his conversation with Xi.

Marcos 'horrified' by alleged Duterte-Xi 'secret deal' on West PH Sea

Duterte challenged his successor President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to repair the BRP Sierra Madre that was deliberately grounded on Ayungin Shoal. 

"Kaya ito sabi ko kay Marcos, stop complaining and expounding on it. Do it and repair. I challenge them, kasi sila man ang nasa gobyerno ngayon, eh di i-repair nila at gumawa sila doon ng mga bahay-bahay kung saan if they are really ready for that. I-patrol na nila yung Philippine Navy, yung gray ships, and let us see what happens," he said.

Philippines, Japan, US to mount ‘combined naval training’ amid China’s ‘dangerous, coercive’ behavior

Marcos is in the US for a trilateral summit with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. 

Biden on Thursday pledged Thursday to defend the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea. 

TIRADES VS CRITICS

Duterte on Thursday also slammed his critics like retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

“Ito, Justice Carpio, sabihin ko sa'yo. If China would decide to erect a naval base there in the island nearest us, can you stop it? Madali kasi ito sila magsabi na we should insist. And if China would say no, you cannot insist, what can you do? Justice Carpio, answer me?” Duterte said.

But Carpio said Duterte should "tell the truth to the Filipino people.”

“Sinabi ng China, may gentleman's agreement. Sinabi ni (Harry) Roque, may gentleman's agreement. Ngayon, dini-deny niya.” Carpio said at the sidelines of a forum in the University of the Philippines. 

“Who is lying and who is not telling the truth?”

(China said there is a gentleman’s agreement. Harry Roque said there is a gentleman’s agreement. Now, Duterte is denying that… Who is lying and who is not telling the truth?)

He also countered Duterte’s statement that any agreement he had would only keep the peace in the contested waters.

“‘Yung agreement niya, pumayag siya hindi natin supplayan ng, hindi natin i-repair ang (BRP) Sierra Madre. Ang puwede dalhin lang doon, tubig at pagkain. Eh, lulubog yun. Kasi rusty na, kalawang na. Pag lumubog ‘yun, nawala na tayo, papasok ang China. Parang binigay niya na ‘yung Ayungin Shoal sa China…That’s the effect of that agreement,” Carpio asserted.

(In his agreement, he agreed to not supply, not repair (BRP) Sierra Madre. The only things that can be brought there are food and water. That ship will sink because it is already rusty. When that sinks, China will come in. It’s like him giving Ayungin Shoal to China…That’s the effect of that agreement.)

Without the BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippines will no longer have an outpost and will not be able to protect the Ayungin Shoal. This, according to Carpio, is the goal of China in not allowing materials to be delivered to the rundown ship.

“We lose another feature in the South China Sea. Eh ang sabi ng arbitral tribunal, ‘yung Ayungin Shoal, low tide yan, that’s part of the EEZ of the Philippines. Ang Pilipinas ang puwedeng magtayo ng istruktura diyan. And then wala na tayo kasi papasukan ng China parang Mischief Reef ‘yan,” the former magistrate explained.

(We lose another feature in the South China Sea. The arbitral tribunal said Ayungin Shoal is low tide, that’s part of the EEZet of the Philippines. The Philippines is the one allowed to put up structures there. And then we will lose it, China will come in just like what they did in Mischief Reef.)

Carpio does not believe China will go to war with the Philippines, contrary to what Duterte has mentioned a number of times. Carpio noted that Indonesia blows up Chinese fishing vessels, while Malaysia surveys and drills within its exclusive economic zone. China, until now, has not gone to war against these nations.

“Kalokohan ‘yan. Intimidation ‘yan. Wala namang giyera so far,” he pointed out.

(That is nonsense. That’s intimidation. There is no war so far.)

“Ang strategy ng China, takutin tayo. Intimidate us. Ang number one agent nila to intimidate us is Duterte.”

(China’s strategy is to scare us. Intimidate us. Their number one agent in intimidating us is Duterte.)

Carpio also slammed Duterte’s demeanor towards China.

“Sabi niya, I love Xi Jinping. Kahit na kinukuha na ni Xi Jinping ‘yung ating isla sa West Philippine Sea, ang maritime zones, I love Xi Jinping pa rin siya. Anong klaseng Presidente yun? Anong klaseng Pilipino ‘yun?”

(He said I love Xi Jinping. Even if Xi Jinping claims our island in the West Philippine Sea, the maritime zones, he still says I love Xi Jinping. What kind of a President is that? What kind of Filipino is he?)

China claims nearly all of the waterway despite competing claims from other countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis.

There have been several confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels near contested reefs in recent months, including collisions.

Biden vows 'ironclad' defense of Philippines, Japan

— With a report from Agence France-Presse