Called out for his remarks on how difficult it was to determine the exclusivity of the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea because “it’s under water,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III last week fell back on the overused excuse that politicians favor these days: He was only joking.
“My comments on the West Philippine Sea and its resources was a tongue-in-cheek statement. Sadly, only a few understood,” Sotto said in a mix of English and Filipino after being mocked and ridiculed online for what he told the ANC news channel in an interview.
In that interview, Sotto was asked about President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to continue allowing Chinese vessels to operate in the country’s EEZ, including the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.
“It’s very difficult to say that there is exclusivity when it’s underwater,” Sotto said in response. “The fish could be coming from China. And the fish from the Philippines could be going to China if we want to be technical about it and relate it to the constitutionality of what should be owned by us.”
“There are exclusive types of fish that are only found in China, but can be found here because of migration perhaps,” he continue. “It could be a very good test case that it is a constitutional violation.”
In response, Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano mocked the Senate president on Twitter, suggesting a “no-ID no entry” for fish in the West Philippine Sea.
Other social media users suggested passports for fish, while one satirical article reported that Sotto had won the “Nobel Fish Prize” for his “deep, incisive… examination of the complex nautical, aqualegal migratory patterns and rights in the West Philippine and South China Sea.”
Online ridicule is familiar territory for Sotto, who once complained about being the target of cyber bullying in a privilege speech, and who also pressured a news site to remove offending articles about his past.
Of course, nothing in the original ANC interview suggested that Sotto was merely being facetious on the topic of the West Philippine Sea, or that he was merely deadpanning for our amusement.
It is far easier to understand that Sotto has been currying favor with the Palace by toeing its line on Chinese intrusions in Philippine waters. After all, his position as Senate president could become precarious, as administration allies elected to the Senate take their seats in July.
We do suggest that the next time Senator Sotto wants to deadpan a joke, he do it clearly, by prominently sticking his tongue in a cheek before he speaks.