Press Statement of Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto
04 May 2021

On Secretary Locsin’s tweets on China’s incursions into our territory

In an era when diplomacy is practiced by those who “speak softly and carry a selfie stick”, it pays to have a foreign affairs secretary who is brave and brilliant because it will allow our country to punch above its weight.

While we may not have missiles to launch, we possess something more potent – Locsin missives, against which no shield has been proven effective.

He can make the enemy lose face before the entire world without us losing a single man.

Those who are saying that he should have couched his statements in diplomatese are missing the point. This is the knight of the King’s English.

He is the diplomat “who can tell you to go to hell in such an elegant way that you’ll look forward with pleasure to making the trip.”

But such a tactful way has not worked with a nation who has brazenly violated our sovereignty. So it is time to convey our dismay in a language they can understand.

And we have that message delivered by our best weapon in a shouting war.

Mabuhay po kayo Secretary Locsin!