WHILE Aquino wanted to be perceived as a “No President” to what China is doing (for political reasons), he also sanctioned a “back door” diplomacy with Beijing.
Frontally, he condemned Chinese aggression in our Scarborough Shoal. He secretly (as alleged) sent Sen. Antonio Trillanes to have a “back door” negotiation with the Chinese.
High brows raised. Why Trillanes? On the other hand, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario was making a convincing move to rally international support against China on the issue in the South China Sea.
Did Trillanes achieve something remarkable? Others believe that he was just chops ticked by the astute Chinese officials.
The Chinese simply applied “kung fu” diplomacy making Trilanes believe he did something to ease the tension and avoid war.
Trillanes believed that he is the hero of the moment and to boost his ego (self-ego boosting), he accused Del Rosario of treason for his dealings with America.
It was Trillanes who floated the idea (or even claimed) that most Filipinos are uninterested in the Scarborough Shoal issue and would prefer instead to have cordial relations with China. I don’t know if DU30 is also entertaining the idea that it is good to continue what was started by Trillanes.
To date, China has already started eating a part of our territory, a part of our sovereignty by simply believing that, “We have indisputable sovereignty over the entire South China Sea.” The first wave of the conflict is actually on Philippine sovereignty versus China sovereignty.
We claim to have sovereignty in areas now occupied by the Chinese. This could be intriguing. China stepped up construction work in contested territories in the South China Sea. In the disputed Paracels archipelago, the Chinese have already built Sansha City on Yongxing Island (Woody Island).
The administration of other infrastructure projects in Paracels, Macclesfield Bank, Scarborough Shoal and other assorted reefs, sandbanks and some two hundred uninhabited islets and their surrounding waters in Spratly islands will be supervised by Sansha. Where can we find the Philippine sovereignty in these places that most Filipinos could not even locate them in the map?
Now there are reports that some of the structures constructed by the Chinese have missiles. The “missile story,” like an urban legend, generated speculations on the kind of missiles that are simply hibernating inside the structures. Storytellers made news, fake or otherwise but threatening.
There could be “a projectile missile” that could be hurled anytime. A “command guidance” could be instructed during its flight to any territory other than the Philippines. “Ballistic missile” could be dangerous because it is powered on its ascent but unpowered and unguided on its descent. That could just hit Palawan anytime.
A “cruise missile” could possibly hit Japan since it’s long-range and low-flying. If we go against China, our soldiers are not enough and before we can think of our next move we are already hit by “SAM” (surface-to-air missile). These are but just stories but stories can always kill before the actual killing.
This action of China is a clear intervention on our sovereignty.
Our president is right. We cannot fight China. People like you and we can always point towards a lack of strategic foresight on the part of our “sovereign government.”
Our AFP has focused more on internal threats... NPA, rebels in Mindanao, terrorist groups, and narco-politics.
Our government officials are always thinking of the next election, federalism, their graft and corruption cases, the passage of divorce law, and gambling.
China’s build-up could serve as a foundation for its future large-scale military deployment.
Now, just the Philippines. Tomorrow, the whole of Asia. The morning after tomorrow, the world.
We always wonder what our sovereignty can bring or that sovereignty can be really fortified if we become a province of China! “XieXie.”