PH not meddling in Taiwan affairs...

“unequivocally oppose Taiwan independence rather than stoking the fire by offering the U.S. access to the military bases near the Taiwan Strait if you care genuinely about the 150,000 [overseas Filipino workers].”

On Sunday, April 16, Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros demanded that Beijing recall Huang over his “threatening” statements.

Hontiveros said if China has issues with the U.S., he should “not drag the Philippines” into their fight.

Beijing has accused Washington of creating tension in the region by expanding its military presence.

Huang said the Philippines is “stoking the fire by offering the U.S. access to the military bases near the Taiwan Strait” referring to the bases designated as EDCA sites.

Two of the four new sites — which will house visiting U.S. troops and their equipment — are in Cagayan province which is near Taiwan.

“These are truly disgraceful statements from Ambassador

Huang Xilian. How dare he threaten us,” the senator said.

“Our OFWs in Taiwan will continue to work where they work. End of story. Filipinos will thrive and make a living according to our wishes,” she stressed in a statement.

“The Palace should tell Beijing to recall their representative in Manila as soon as possible,” Hontiveros said.

She said Huang “has no business being a diplomat if he is unable to engage with us in a respectful and dignified manner.”

The Philippines, she said, will never interfere with the issue of Taiwanese independence. “That is exclusively for the people of Taiwan to tackle.”

She said it was China “who has been stoking tensions in the region, claiming territories that aren’t hers.”

“It is China who continues to bully, harass, and intimidate other smaller nations in the region. It is China who is making all this mess,” Hontiveros said, Hontiveros said Huang “along with his country’s ships and artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea, should pack up and leave.”

“We, in the Philippines, respect the right of the Taiwanese people to selfdetermination, and this right must be upheld by all other nations that share this planet, even including the autocratic regime of China,” she said.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila, in a text to reporters, said it has “no specific response to Ambassador Huang’s comments, other than to say what we have said repeatedly: EDCA sites will support combined training exercises and interoperability between U.S. and Philippine forces to ensure that we’re even better prepared for future crises.”

“EDCA is a key component of the U.S.-Philippne alliance, and is not about any other third country,” the embassy said.

In a statement over the weekend, National Security Council Assistant Director General and spokesman Jonathan Malaya reacted strongly to Huang’s insinuation that the Philippines is a willing participant in the attempt of the US to push its “anti-China agenda” by adding four more EDCA sites.

“National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año has made our position clear that the increased security cooperation between the Philippines and the United States is meant to develop and strengthen the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to enable it to protect and defend the territory of the Philippines and is not meant to contain or counter any nation in the region or to interfere in another nation’s affairs,” Malaya said.

He noted that Año even had a meeting with Huang last week to assure the Chinese government that the Marcos administration is for the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue and the continued stability of the region.

“The identified EDCA sites are Philippine bases which we want to further develop based on the requirements for strategic basing and development of the AFP. These were not U.S.-dictated but identified by our armed forces,” Malaya said.

“By developing our military and base infrastructure, we are pursuing our national interest and actually contributing to regional peace and stability,” he said. Malaya also maintained that the country observes the One China policy and subscribes to the principle of the Association of Southeast Nations “of non-interference in approaching regional issues.” g