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President Rodrigo Duterte has blamed the United States for its inaction over China's activities in the South China Sea.

In a speech before members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Thursday night, Duterte wondered why America did not act when Beijing was engaged in construction activities in at least seven shoals and reefs in the disputed waters and now it wanted the Philippines to be the "pawn."

"So we go back to the days where it could have been solved or settled but why did America done nothing about it? Nothing. And now you want us to be the pawn. They want us to be assertive, for what reason?," he said.

Duterte said the Philippines and the US have a Mutual Defense Treaty.

"It is a military alliance and we are supposed to protect each other...that option was never exercised by the Philippines," he said.

He said US knew it is the Philippines’ argument it is entitled to those within its economic zone.

He recalled that the US, Australia and other countries even made overflights in the disputed waters and used their satellites.

"And we were warned by everybody that something was afoot there in Scarborough. That somebody's gonna build some sort of a structure… It's really the only one which has the capability to confront (China). Why now it's telling us that my Navy should go there? It will mean a massacre for my soldiers. I will not do it," he said.

China has reclaimed seven shoals and reefs in the South China Sea, including those being claimed by the Philippines. .

Duterte said on his way back to Manila from his trip to Thailand, he was informed China would not build structures in Scarborough Shoal in deference to its friendship with the Philippines.

"Why did you (US) not at the first instance confronted the Chinese who were working, building that structures there. Anyway, if you disregard the entitlements, then you would still insist it's an open, sea international water. It's near the mouth of the Indian Ocean going inside China," he said.

"Why did you not go there? Why did you not confront (them)? Why did you not send five aircraft carriers and cock (your guns)? And you had to wait for the problem to ripen into an international issue involving this time so many countries (like) Vietnam," Duterte stressed.

"You could have cut the problem in the bud had you taken decisive action. Why now you're telling (us), 'you assert, you assert'. Why don't you bring your Navy there?"

Duterte said he has to be careful in dealing with the issue on the South China Sea because any "miscalculation" or "one single solitary shot, it could lead to an explosion and it could lead into war, and it will be a slaughter."

He said the Philippines has no match with China in terms of military capability.

The president even recalled he told Chinese President Xi Jinping when he had his state visit to China in October last year that "your ships can go in and out (of the) country - either through the north or the Sulu Sea to the Malacca Strait."

He also said he sought China's help to patrol the international waters in southern part of the country where piracy is a problem. Celerina Monte/DMS