Filipinos burn Chinese flags in protest against Duterte’s ‘weak’ response to South China Sea sinking
- Demonstration comes after the Philippine leader described the sinking of a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea as ‘just a collision’
- The incident has become a lightning rod for anti-Chinese sentiment, including fears over illegal immigration
Holding placards with messages such as “End China Aggression” and “China hands off Filipino fishermen” around 50 protesters joined the Justice for Philippines rally at Rizal Park, denouncing what they said was an effort by the president to belittle the incident, in which 22 Filipino fishermen were stranded at sea following a collision with a Chinese vessel.
After days of rising tension over the incident, Duterte broke his silence on Monday to play down the aggressive rhetoric coming from some Philippine officials who had branded the incident a “hit-and-run”, describing it instead as “just a collision”. The president urged Filipinos not to “make it worse” and reiterated the country was not ready to go to war against China – adding that he had resisted the calls of one national official to send warships to the sea.
But Duterte’s comments enraged some critics who said he had only proved their claims that he was prioritising links with Beijing at the expense of ordinary Filipinos.