Scarborough Shoal
-A A +AThursday, April 12, 2012
I WAS initially more amused than worried when I read the news about the standoff between Philippine and China troops at the Scarborough Shoal.
That amusement was not about the standoff but about “Scarborough.” The word reminded me of a favorite “oldie but goodie” song by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, “Scarborough Fair.” I used to sing that without knowing what “Scarborough,” or for that matter the entire lyrics, meant.
The song’s first line asks the question, “Are you going to Scarborough Fair?” Samot. I found out later that the Simon-Garfunkel hit is a reworking of a traditional ballad of Great Britain. But I won’t go farther than that because it will bring me away from Scarborough Shoal.
Wikipedia refers to the disputed area as a “shoal” or a “reef.” The Chinese call it Huangyan Island, while the Philippines refers to it, aptly as Panatag Shoal.
Scarborough Shoal is nearer the Philippine province of Zambales than the Chinese mainland, thus our claim to it. China, however, based its claim to Scarborough to history (Huangyan is a Chinese word, so the shoal is a Chinese island, or something like that).
The word “Scarborough” does not have any connection with the Simon-Garfunkel song or to Great Britain’s old ballad. It supposedly was the name of the ship that got wrecked on the shoal in the late 18th century. Everyone on board the ship perished. So the shoal, since then, got its name from the sunken ship.
Anyway, those who think that the shoal will end up being the site of a clash between Philippines and Chinese troops should calm down a bit. The standoff between the Philippine Navy ship Gregorio del Pilar and two Chinese surveillance ships has ended after our ship left the area yesterday for “operational” reasons. Meaning, our Navy failed to arrest the 12 Chinese fishing vessels that strayed into “our territory.”
I don’t know whether that is a victory for the Chinese or not, or whether it strengthened China’s claim over the territory. Will we still be arresting Chinese fishermen once they stray into the shoal in the future? What if those fishermen will still be “escorted” by their country’s surveillance ships? Won’t that make us impotent as far as our territorial claim is concerned?
That is something that we will be monitoring with interest. For now, however, the incident should prod the administration of President Noynoy Aquino to find ways to prop up our defense of the disputed territory. Perhaps that Chinese surveillance ship wouldn’t have been as daring had it confronted a more formidable battleship.
The Philippine government should know that diplomatic action has its limitations. And one cannot always rely on a “big brother,” which is what we would like to view the US, to bail us out of a standoff. Part of our resources should now be used to prop up the air and naval capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Which brings me to the matter of principle. I always feel sad that many of us insist on heaping insults on ourselves for having a weak Navy. We laugh at the crew of BRP Gregorio del Pilar for standing its ground for two days at the Scarborough Shoal. But I would say that protecting our territory is no laughing matter. China may be a world power, but the Philippines should not back off when the Chinese bully us. That country won’t respect us that way.
Ang hulmigas gani, bisan gamay, mopahit man kun imong tumban.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 13, 2012.
Opinion
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