PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has assured Filipinos that the Philippines' sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea would not be compromised, even if China is the country's 'good friend'.

In his pre-recorded speech aired over state-run PTV-4 on Wednesday night, Duterte said while the Philippines owes China a huge debt, including the supply of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, its territorial waters 'cannot be bargained.'