House Prosecution spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong on Saturday questioned the Duterte camp’s public posture toward China and cited a corporate link that the prosecution says warrants closer examination.
The Lanao del Sur congressman said the camp’s statements, from the previous administration through the present, have repeatedly tracked positions favorable to Beijing.
“Mukhang friendly sila sa narrative ng China,” he said during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City. “They're not even hiding it.”
Alonto Adiong connected the issue to Gencorp Industries Inc., a company Vice President Sara Duterte listed as a business interest in her SALNs. He said the company was previously known as Timesquare Bee Foods Corp.
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“Based on our information, this company is owned by a Chinese national,” Alonto Adiong said.
That statement was presented as prosecution information during the forum; Alonto Adiong did not identify the source document or establish that it was an SEC finding.
Earlier SEC testimony showed company filings and names connected with Gencorp, but the court will determine the weight of those records.
Alonto Adiong said the connection raises questions about proximity to Chinese individuals or entities, especially when considered with the Duterte camp’s public positions.
“Mukhang mayroong proximity in terms of engagement with the Chinese government or with any Chinese entity,” he said.
He stopped short of declaring that the connection proved control by Beijing. Instead, he asked that the company records and political statements be examined together.
“If we go back to statements, positions that they have made, I think it has always been friendly to China,” Alonto Adiong said.
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Alonto Adiong said elected officials should begin with Philippine interests whenever foreign-policy questions arise.
“That should be the primary consideration that our elected officials should stand on—that dapat interest po ng ating bansa always ang ating tayuan,” he said.
He rejected the framing that officials may choose between supporting a Chinese or Philippine narrative when sovereign rights are at stake.
“Hindi tayo mamimili sa narrative ng China at Pilipinas. Dapat wala tayong choices doon,” said Alonto Adiong, stressing that for public officials defending the country should be automatic.
“Always, automatic, ipaglaban po ang ating bansa. It's not even a matter of choices,” Alonto Adiong said.