Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Thursday said he sees nothing wrong with the proposal to appoint former President Rodrigo Duterte as special envoy to China.
In a television interview, Zubiri was asked about his stand on the proposal to appoint President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s predecessor to represent the country in its negotiation with China on the issue of the West of the Philippines.
“Why not? Anyone who can help diplomacy in this part of the world, in this economic zone of ours, the exclusive economic zone would be a big help,” he said.
“It could be president former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he added.
Aside from the former chief executive, Zubiri said that Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who floated the idea to tap Duterte, could also represent the country in its negotiation with China.
“It could also be Alan, why not Senator Alan as well to help in the backchanneling since he’s quite close to some of the officials there being the former Secretary of Foreign Affairs?” he said.
On Wednesday, Zubiri and 20 other senators met with Marcos and his wife First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos in the Malacanang Palace after the latter hosted a “casual dinner.”
Prior to his dinner with senators, Marcos also met with the older Duterte, who went to China last month.
Zubiri said during their meeting with the president, the latter mentioned that it was Duterte who brought up the issue of the West Philippine Sea during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“What he mentioned to us, was during the duration of President Duterte’s meeting with Xi Jinping, the topic of the West Philippine Sea never was brought up,” he said.
“Apparently, it was never, according to the President, casually saying that it was never brought up,” he added.
He continued: “It was actually President Duterte to mention to Xi Jinping that on the issue of the West Philippine Sea, look kindly to the Philippines.”
Duterte’s trip to China caught the national attention as the country was waiting for the decision of the International Criminal Court on the appeal of the Marcos administration to block its investigation into the former president’s controversial war on drugs which killed thousands of suspected drug personalities.
Asked whether the Department of Foreign Affairs was aware of Duterte’s trip to China, the agency said it “had no official information on the visit of the former president to China.”
Marcos, however, clarified that Duterte’s trip to China was “not a surprise.”
During his term, Duterte veered away from the Philippines’ traditional ally – the United States — and developed warmer ties with America’s rival, China.