The Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte and China's Xi Jinping have reportedly reached an unwritten pact on the status quo in the South China Sea.

He explained that the agreement also required China to cease construction activities on Mischief Reef, located near Second Thomas Shoal.

Roque, a lawyer by profession, refused to call it a deal on Wednesday, saying it was simply an agreement that the Philippine Navy's monthly replenishment missions to the BRP Sierra Madre would be allowed on the condition that they are for humanitarian purposes.

However, Roque asserted that Beijing would be wrong to assume that such an agreement would be honored by the Marcos Jr. administration.

Roques' revelation follows demands from some lawmakers that Duterte shed light on the reported deal.

The Marcos Jr administration has not commented directly on Roques' revelation, but the president said on Wednesday that Manila would, in the coming weeks, implement proportionate, deliberate and reasonable countermeasures against Chinese aggression in South China Sea.

01:49

Chinese floating barrier blocks entry of Philippine ships into South China Sea hotspot

Chinese floating barrier blocks entry of Philippine ships into South China Sea hotspot

Roque defended his former boss, saying the deal never required the withdrawal of the BRP Sierra Madre, as China had previously suggested.

He also suggested that China believed current resupply missions included deliveries of construction materials, and recommended leaving the BRP Sierra Madre in its dilapidated state rather than continuing with repairs and risking Beijing's wrath.

You cannot force China to agree with us to upgrades to the BRP Sierra Madre. “China will not accept this. I think the best policy is that even if the ship is dilapidated, we still have a presence there and our people have enough food and water,” he said. he declared.

Ramon Beleno III, chair of the Department of Political Science and History at Ateneo de Davao University, said the Gentlemen's Accord was only a temporary solution at the time to ease tensions in the South China Sea, but not a solution to the problem.

This is the problem now. China is using the agreement against us, Belen told This Week in Asia.

Former Philippine senator Leila De Lima, a fierce critic of Duterte, said in a social media post on Wednesday that Roques' revelation, which came two years after he resigned from public office, only showed the duplicity of the the previous administration, emphasizing the fact that the agreement was kept secret from the public.

Regardless, President Ferdinand Marcos is not bound by any such secret agreement. A president cannot be bound by agreements made secretly by a predecessor for the simple reason that he has no means of complying with an agreement whose details are subject to the memory of those who have knowledge of it, and are therefore very unreliable, she said. said.

Ultimately, a gentlemen's agreement relies heavily on the integrity of the parties. China should have known from the start that such a deal with Duterte is useless, as he is absolutely not a gentleman, and even lies and deceives his own people, De Lima pointed out.

Its lenient stance toward Beijing was tested on June 9, 2019, when a Chinese maritime militia boat rammed a Filipino fishermen's boat in the disputed waters, leaving 22 Filipino fishermen floating at sea until A Vietnamese boat comes to their rescue.

Instead of protesting, Duterte downplayed the incident as a small maritime accident that should not hamper friendly bilateral relations.

3:04 p.m.

Why is the Philippines aligning with the United States after years of close relations with China under Duterte?

Why is the Philippines aligning with the United States after years of close relations with China under Duterte?

In February last year, Marcos Jr granted the United States expanded access to military sites across the country under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement to strengthen the Philippines' defense capabilities and their response to natural disasters.

Marcos Jr has also consistently taken a tougher stance against China's encroachment, promising not to cede any Philippine territory to foreign powers.

On March 23, Manila's regular resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal turned violent, with two Chinese Coast Guard ships water cannonarding a civilian supply boat for more than an hour, injuring three sailors and severely damaging the boat .

Journalists witness clashes between Beijing and Philippine ships in the South China Sea

It was the second incident in just three weeks. Earlier this month, five sailors were also injured in similar harassment by the Chinese coast guard and its suspected Chinese militias during the same mission.

Philippine military historian and defense analyst Jose Antonio Custodio told a local radio station on Wednesday that China took offense when Marcos Jr's government failed to follow Duterte's policies.

There are repercussions to this. We must strengthen our relationship with our system of international alliances and with our forces in the West Philippine Sea. There should be more support for this, Custodio said.

Remember, even though Duterte was pro-China, China doesn't respect us.