Sea row needs clarity, focus, not war of inflated words

The long-running row over the Reed Bank incident has mutated into a debate of blowhards, a war of inflated words over the government’s handling of the Reed incident. Under scrutiny and heavily criticized is the Duterte administration’s policy stance on the issue of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

On one side, the critics and opponents of the President and his policies contend that Philippine sovereignty and rights have been violated by China in the incident. They demand that the government and its armed forces should take a stronger stand against what they allege are serious violations by China of Filipino rights in the disputed waters.