Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) meets with House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (left) and Senate President Vicente Sotto III (right). Handout

MANILA - Former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo skipped any reference to the Philippines' unresolved dispute with China over the South China Sea in her remarks during a courtesy call of Congress leaders on visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday.

Instead, Arroyo assured Xi of the chamber’s support for the growing relationship between China and the Philippines under the Duterte administration.

"The all-around cooperation between China and the Philippines over the past two years has been very good indeed, perhaps as good as it has ever been. Two major reasons for these are the positive attitude our President Duterte has towards China and Your Excellency’s enlightened attitude," Arroyo said.

Duterte has pursued improved ties with China since becoming President in 2016, shortly after a United Nations-backed panel ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China's nine-dash line claim over nearly all of the South China Sea.

The Philippines had hailed China to international arbitration over the latter's encroachment on the West Philippine Sea, the country's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

Duterte has, however, shelved the ruling in pursuit of better relations with Asia's largest economy.

Arroyo said the House of Representatives' legislative agenda is "focused on areas that are essential to economic activity such as generating fiscal resources to improve our country’s infrastructure" in a bid to maximize the country's improving ties with China.

“Going forward, implementation will now be the key to maximizing the benefits of growing economic trade and investment relations between our two countries. In this area, the traditional oversight function of the legislative will be useful in encouraging our implementers from the Executive Branch so that they can maintain focus and strive for maximum results in the shortest possible time," she said.

In contrast, Senate President Vicente Sotto III made an indirect reference to the dispute in his remarks during the meeting with Xi.

Sotto's office said the Senate leader "emphasized that there is certainly much more that binds the Philippines and China together than what may divide the two."

Xi, himself, meanwhile, spoke about the disputed waters, according to a statement released by Sotto's office.

In responding to Sotto's remarks at the meeting, Xi "stressed that the South China Sea is a sea of friendship and cooperation that creates a bond of friendship for the two nations," the Senate President's office said.



During the call, Arroyo was accompanied by Former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Deputy Speaker Arthur Yap, Representatives Dennis Laogan, Federico Sandoval and Frederick Siao, and former Rep. Mat Defensor, who came as part of Arroyo's technical staff.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Senators Ping Lacson, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Gregorio Honasan were also present.

Xi met with the lawmakers on Wednesday, the last day of his state visit here, at the Shangri-La Hotel at the Fort in Taguig City before leaving Manila Wednesday afternoon.