How Rodrigo sold Sandy Cay to China in exchange of Chinese Loans

Rodrigo Duterte: The Traitor Who Sold Philippine Sovereignty to China

The Duterte administration will be remembered not only for its brutal drug war, corruption scandals, and blatant authoritarianism but also for its most unforgivable crime: the silent surrender of Philippine territory to China. One of the clearest examples of this treachery was the loss of Sandy Cay, a strategic sandbar near Pag-asa Island, which effectively fell under Chinese control under Duterte’s watch. This was not just incompetence—it was a deliberate act of betrayal, timed perfectly with Duterte’s deepening financial and political entanglements with Beijing.

The Silent Surrender of Sandy Cay

Sandy Cay, a sandbar just two nautical miles from the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, used to be within the Philippines’ control. However, in August 2017, Chinese maritime militia, backed by the Chinese Coast Guard, suddenly swarmed the area and took over. Duterte, the so-called nationalist leader who claimed he loved the Philippines, did absolutely nothing.

Instead of ordering the military to push back against this clear violation of Philippine sovereignty, Duterte’s government denied that anything happened. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon dismissed reports of the occupation as “fake news,” while the ever-loyal Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque parroted the same nonsense.

But the facts were undeniable. Chinese vessels were stationed permanently around Sandy Cay, preventing Filipinos from approaching their own territory. Under any other presidency, this would have sparked national outrage, but Duterte had masterfully conditioned the Filipino people to accept China’s creeping invasion as the “new normal.”

Duterte’s Submission to Chinese Money

Why did Duterte refuse to act? The answer is money.

Duterte’s 2016 pivot to China was never about diplomacy or strategy—it was about self-enrichment and securing financial lifelines for his bloated infrastructure projects. Just a year before China took Sandy Cay, Duterte made his infamous state visit to Beijing, where he declared his “separation” from the United States and cozied up to Xi Jinping in exchange for $24 billion in Chinese loans and investments.

These deals were never transparent and came with onerous conditions that suspiciously benefited China more than the Philippines. Some of the agreements allowed China to take over vital Philippine assets in the event of non-payment—an open invitation for Chinese economic colonization.

But even worse, most of the promised Chinese investments never even materialized. By 2019, only a pathetic $924 million of the promised $9 billion in official development assistance had arrived. Duterte essentially sold out the country for nothing.

China’s Playbook: Loans First, Territory Next

China’s encroachment on Philippine territory under Duterte was not a coincidence—it was a strategy.

Beijing used Duterte’s economic desperation to push its territorial ambitions forward. China’s debt diplomacy has worked in multiple countries, including Sri Lanka, where the government was forced to lease a strategic port to China for 99 years after defaulting on payments. Duterte, desperate to show progress in his so-called “Build, Build, Build” program, played right into China’s hands.

By the time China seized Sandy Cay, Duterte had already surrendered Philippine leverage. The Philippines was so economically entangled with China that opposing Beijing became politically inconvenient for Duterte and his cronies. Instead of standing up for the country, Duterte chose silence and submission.

The Duterte Legacy: A Nation Weaker, Poorer, and Less Sovereign

Duterte’s defenders love to paint him as a strongman, but history will remember him as a weak, corrupt leader who traded the Philippines’ territorial rights for Chinese handouts. His policies not only enabled Chinese expansion but weakened the Philippines’ geopolitical standing.

The Sandy Cay betrayal is just one part of Duterte’s larger legacy of capitulation. Under his rule:

• Chinese vessels harassed Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.
• The military was forbidden from asserting the country’s sovereignty.
• Chinese companies gained control over key Philippine infrastructure projects.
• The Philippine government downplayed every single Chinese violation in exchange for more empty promises of investment.

Filipinos must not forget who did this to us. Rodrigo Duterte was not a nationalist—he was a traitor who sold the country’s future to a foreign power. The effects of his surrender will haunt generations to come, as China continues to tighten its grip on Philippine waters, emboldened by six years of Duterte’s cowardice.

If we are ever to reclaim what we lost, we must first reckon with the truth: Duterte gave away our sovereignty. And history will never forgive him for it.