MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The Philippines is no match to China in as far as military might and resources are concerned, so a war between the two countries is not an option to resolve the terrotorial conflict in the West Philippine Sea.

But President Rodrigo  Duterte knows where the Philippines has an upper hand: Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong.

OFWs are in high demand in Hong Kong, with most Filipinos serving as domestic workers.  It is estimated that there are  230,000 OFWs in this Chinese territory.

When he meets with Xi Jinping sometime in the very near future, Duterte says he will finally discuss with the Chinese leader the issue of the West Philippine Sea and 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling which favored the Philippines. 

“If China will continue to ignore the PCA award, I will order the immediate return of all OFWs  now in Hong Kong. I know this will cause a  huge void in Hong Kong’s economy, “ Duterte said.

Duterte added that if this will still not work, he will also order the deportation of all Chinese nationals now working in the Philippines, and shut down all Chinese-owned or Chinese-named restaurants in the country.

Is this goodbye to ChowKing, Kowloon, Ma Mon Luk and other eateries in Chinatown?