Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said he is willing to leave his post and will never seek for any government position if proven that the Philippines lost a piece of territory to China under the Duterte administration.
“I challenge anyone of them. Whatever their professions are — justice, politician, newsman, journalist — if we lost a single island during Duterte’s time, I will pack my bags, go home and I will not serve the public in any elected or appointed position,” Cayetano said during the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) flag-raising ceremony on May 28.
“Are you willing to face this administration, and show us which island feature or inch, square-inch we lost during Duterte’s time? I’m willing to show you what we lost in the last administration,” Cayetano added.
Cayetano made the statement after a column entitled “How many islands does Phl still have?” written by Federico D. Pascual Jr. was published in Philippine Star.
“The smart answer to the question: How many islands comprise the Philippines? used to be: Depends on whether it’s low or high tide. Not anymore – now the cautious reply is: Before or after Duterte?” Pascual wrote.
Sources: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/05/28/1819439/cayetano-prove-philippines-lost-island-china-and-i-will-quit; https://globalnation.inquirer.net/167275/cayetano-ill-quit-ph-loses-territory-china; https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2018/05/27/1818956/how-many-islands-does-phl-still-have
