MANILA, Philippines — Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez did not mince her words when Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the Philippines and China must not go to war over some kind of shellfish, but the latter should just pay for it.

“Ang akala ko pa naman matalino ka. Ako ay simpling tao lamang na may simpleng pagiisip,” Velasquez said in a tweet on Friday.

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“These people are invading our territory they are not just taking food sinistral nila ang ating karagatan!!!!” She added.

Locsin replied and pointed out: “Pero ang problem ay hindi po territorio natin yun. EEZ [exclusive economic zone].”

The encounter came after Locsin said China should just pay for the giant clams “like fish in market” instead of coming to war with the Philippines.

“I am not going down in history as a clam defender, okay? It’s a complaint; we’re looking into it; but these are just fucking food; no one goes to war for clams (maybe Oysters of Locquemariaquer) but they just happen to be OUR food. They should pay for them like in fish market,” Locsin said.

I am not going down in history as a clam defender, okay? It's a complaint; we're looking into it; but these are just fucking food; no one goes to war for clams (maybe Oysters of Locquemariaquer) but they just happen to be OUR food. They should pay for them like in fish market. https://t.co/dweKIIL5mE — Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) April 16, 2019 ADVERTISEMENT

READ: Locsin won’t go to war over giant clams, but says China must pay

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo previously said China’s harvesting of giant clams in Scarborough Shoal “is an affront to our territory and to our sovereignty” while Locsin assured the government would be taking “legal action” against China’s actions. /jpv

READ: China poaching of giant clams in Scarborough ‘affront’ to PH territory, sovereignty

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