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The Senate should take a stand on the creeping invasion of Philippine territory in the South China Sea by China, saying that the matter will be a challenge to the new leadership of the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon said.

“I condemn the continuous violation of the arbitration award, of the international rules,” Drilon said in an interview over radio station DZBB on Sunday.

“We must condemn this creeping invasion of our territory and sovereignty,” he stressed.

Drilon said this as he expressed alarm over the reported landing of Chinese bombers planes on an island in the South China Sea.

He said if the Philippines would not make a strong stance against China's activities in the South China Sea, there might come a time that Beijing would also meddle in the country's elections.

“(T)he question at the back of people’s mind, China might interfere in our elections in 2019 at the rate things are going,” Drilon warned.

It could be recalled that only a few weeks ago when reports came out about the deployment by China of missiles on some parts of Spratly island, he noted.

“We must continue to assert our sovereignty over Spratlys,” he added.

The minority leader said that the new leadership of the senate, reportedly with Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III at the helm, should, be able to assert the Senate’s role as “a foreign policy partner of the President.”

“This is a challenge to the new leadership: we must assert the Senate’s role in foreign relations,” Drilon said.

“We should assert our sovereignty, not by waging a war against China - we cannot do that ? but in other fora, we should be able to continue our campaign in order that we can retrieve those islands that have been occupied by China,” he stressed. DMS