MARCOS – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said VP Sara Duterte-Carpio’s silence on China is not an issue.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated on Friday that he isn’t bothered by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte’s silence on matters concerning China, emphasizing that it isn’t her responsibility to address these issues.

Based on a report from Inquirer, during a briefing with the Philippine media delegation, Marcos asserted that the Vice President, being a part of his administration, aligns with its stance on China’s assertive actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

This stance was reiterated in a joint statement alongside US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida following their trilateral summit on Thursday.

“The Vice President is part of the government. Unlike before. But now she is really part of the administration, … the government’s agenda in this administration,” said BBM.

Marcos said “[it’s] not the role of the Vice President or the secretary of Education to talk about China. So I think we are all in line because I’m very sure that if Inday Sara had some very serious misgivings about what we are doing in terms of foreign policies, she would bring that [up] to me.”

“And she has not said anything. When we last talked, all she said was that she would continue working, that’s what she said. That’s a good policy. So, I don’t think it is something that we need to be concerned with,” he added.

Duterte has notably refrained from commenting on recent events in the West Philippine Sea, stating that she has “no comment,” especially regarding the Chinese coast guard’s use of water cannons against Philippine resupply missions at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on March 5 and March 23.