“The agreement to have the Philippines as venue of the next goodwill games with Vietnam is already a commitment. And we do not intend to renege on such hosting,” Philippine Navy spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo told reporters Tuesday.
“If the end is to maintain good relations and amity with a neighboring nation; and sports is one of the means to attain it, then the Navy will have to pursue it,” Arevalo, who also heads the Navy Civil Military Operations Group, added.
Arevalo also said that other nations, including China, are free to join the friendly games, which will be held early next year.
“Yung ating friendly relations with other forces of other nations have already been ongoing, through subject matter exchanges, joint trainings…promoting sports is another avenue…it’s their option, they can signify intent [to join],” Arevalo said.
China declines
However, Arevalo added, China has already sent a signal that it has no intention of joining any friendly undertakings with other countries that have claims in the South China Sea.
“This early nag-signify na sila. It looks like ayon sa kanila e ayaw nila,” Arevalo said.
On Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying described as a “clumsy farce” the friendly gathering between Philippines and Vietnam Navy forces last Sunday on Vietnam-held Southwest Cay, which is part of the Spratly Islands.
“Don’t you think this small move together by Vietnam and the Philippines is at most a clumsy farce?…China has irrefutable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and the seas nearby. We demand that Vietnam and the Philippines stop any behaviour that picks quarrels and causes trouble,” Chunying said.
The Philippine and Vietnamese troops reportedly played soccer and volleyball and drank beer afterwards.
Not picking a quarrel
Arevalo said that the recreational time enjoyed by the navies was meant to promote good relations between their two countries, not poke at China.
“The least of our intention is to pick quarrels with anyone. Ang gusto nating mapakita dun is the fellowship that we can still develop nothwithstanding yung conflicting claims,” Arevalo said.
“Definitely, it’s not meant to pick on China. Sports eases tension and enhances camaraderie. We have tried it with Vietnam and it worked,” he added.
Tensions between China and Vietnam have been escalating after Vietnam discovered that China placed a giant oil rig deep into Hanoi’s exclusive economic zone. China on the other hand accuses Vietnam of ramming several Chinese ships positioned in West Philippine Sea.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have partial claims to territories in the disputed sea, believed to be rich in mineral resources. — Elizabeth Marcelo/BM, GMA News
