MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte did not downplay the ramming and sinking of the boat of 22 Filipino fishermen by a Chinese vessel at Recto Bank in West Philippine Sea, but was instead “listening to all angles of the story,” Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol pointed out on Tuesday.
In a speech on Monday, the President finally addressed what he said was a “little maritime accident.”
READ: Duterte breaks silence on sinking of PH boat: ‘It’s a little maritime accident’
“He (President) was not actually downplaying the incident,” Piñol said in a phone patch interview with ABS CBN News Channel.
“He was listening to all angles of the story before making a statement, and that is the mark of a true leader,” he explained.
Piñol explained that the President was “cautious” in issuing a statement since “things were not very clear.”
“People should understand why he’s very cautious and issuing a statement because at the time after the incident, things were not very clear,” he said. (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)
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