Senators slam Duterte’s ‘defeatist’ stance vs China

MANILA, Philippines — Senators, including administration allies, on Tuesday blasted President Rodrigo Duterte’s “defeatist” position when he said he was “inutile” in defending the country’s territory against Chinese intrusion, warning that his remarks would only embolden China to further “bully” the Philippines. “We are not inutile as a country,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chair of the Senate defense committee, said in reaction to the President’s remarks in his address to a joint session of Congress on Monday. “We belong to the community of nations and we are all bound by the rule of law that is internationally recognized. There lies our strength,” Lacson told the Inquirer.