A Facebook post by Brig. Gen. Michael “Mike” Logico was perceived as a clapback to a comment made by Vice President Sara Duterte regarding the conflict in the West Philippine Sea.
On Monday, June 23, the military officer reposted a picture he had originally shared on the social networking platform last April 24, showing him standing with military vehicles in the background.
The photo was part of a Facebook post he made last April, which he said featured the “rapid insertion of the NMESIS missile in Basco, Batanes.”
NMESIS stands for the United States’ Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System.
Logico reposted a photo from his previous post and wrote the following:
“If this irritates the right people, then it’s working.”
His post caught the attention of some Filipinos, who took a screenshot and shared it in Reddit’s r/Philippines community, where it has received over 780 upvotes.
“AFP/Army General Logico with missiles shown on the photo claps back to VP SWOH on Facebook after VP said ‘Saan mo gagamitin ang missile mo,'” a Redditor said.
AFP/Army General Logico with missiles shown on the photo claps back to VP SWOH on Facebook after VP said “Saan mo gagamitin ang missile mo”.
byu/chasing_enigma inPhilippines
On Sunday, June 22, the vice president commented on the Marcos Jr. administration’s foreign policy, despite not holding a formal role in that area.
She urged the administration to pursue enforcement of the 2016 Arbitral Award through diplomatic means rather than relying on foreign military support.
“The only thing that you need to do is push the recognition and implementation of the award through diplomatic channels. Hindi ‘yong kikilingan mo ang isang foreign power, papasukin mo ang missile ng foreign power,” Duterte said while in Australia before.
She was referring to the U.S. Typhon missile system, which was deployed in the Philippines earlier this year.
“Hindi mo naman away ang away nung isa. Saan mo gagamitin ‘yung missile? Sino ang gigiyera sa Pilipinas?” the vice president remarked.
Duterte also said that “there is no reason” for the country “to lean towards the U.S” when it comes to the issue concerning the West Philippine Sea.
China has been constantly encroaching on the West Philippine Sea despite it lying within Manila’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The EEZ is a sea zone where the coastal country has sovereign rights over the sea’s exploration and use of its marine resources. This is 200 nautical miles measured from the baselines of the territorial sea.
