IN VIEW of the South China Sea (SCS) or West Philippine Sea (WPS) becoming the next flashpoint, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hshien Loong is asking us this question:
“Are you sure you Filipinos want to get into a fight where you will be the next battleground?”
The very same question is also in the minds of most sensible Filipinos, the ones seriously not interested in getting into a war where we will become the next battleground and certainly in the losing end.
Indeed, the SCS/WPS is the next flashpoint in Southeast Asia conveniently exploited by the United States in its never-ending quest for world domination and we are unfortunately their convenient choice for a proxy war with China.
For sure there have been disputes over mostly fishing which can certainly and has been sorted out through diplomatic channels and not by going to war.
It would have remained just that; fishermen arguing over fishing grounds, later on settling it over a bottle of “gin bilog” or Tiger Beer.
That is until during the watch of the late president Noynoy Aquino, perhaps buoyed by American prodding/propaganda, he made it his life’s quest to be an irritant to China by renaming the South China Sea to “West Philippine Sea” via an executive order. Unfortunately for him, since it’s only an EO its not recognized internationally.
What was originally a dispute among Chinese and Filipino fishermen over fishing ground Noynoy Aquino escalated to the level of an incursion into the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone and in a fit of bravado brought the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
On July 12, 2016, the arbitral tribunal adjudicating the Philippines’ case against China ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, determining that major elements of China’s claim — including its nine-dash line, recent land reclamation activities, and other activities in Philippine waters.
Of course, China refuses to recognize the arbitral tribunal’s ruling, which comes as no surprise.
Now President Bongbong Marcos finds himself in this situation where Chinese coastguard boats are giving Filipino sailors impromptu showers by spraying their ships with water using water cannons whenever they get close.
As expected, the usual suspects in Manila are shouting in shrill voices that we should go to war against China because a few Filipino sailors got wet, when the most prudent thing to do would be to also use water cannons and give the Chinese sailors impromptu showers.
Which led President Marcos to issue Executive Order (EO) No. 57, with the aim to strengthen the country’s maritime security amid China’s recent aggressive tactics and threats.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed EO 57 on March 25. In that EO, the President emphasized the need to strengthen maritime security and raise awareness on the maritime domain amid “serious challenges” that threaten the country’s territorial integrity and the “peaceful existence of Filipinos.”
Under EO 57, Marcos renamed and reorganized the National Coast Watch Council (NCWC) to the National Maritime Council (NMC), tasked to formulate policies and strategies to ensure a unified, coordinated, and effective governance framework for the country’s maritime security and domain awareness, among other powers and functions.
According to National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya, the “countermeasures” that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered implemented against “illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous attacks” by China’s coast guard in the WPS entails exhausting all diplomatic measures to resolve disputes aside from strengthening the country’s defense capabilities with allies.
Good to know that the government is still looking at diplomacy to sort this sticky situation because realistically speaking, our Armed Forces won’t last long against China’s might, bearing in mind that the AFP should have been focused on external threats, but were distracted by this CPP/NPA/NDF irritation for 55 years.
Ironically, the usual useful idiots are shouting defund AFP and defend the WPS. Perhaps they will defend WPS if it comes to that?
Really, we’re going to war over some bruised ego and a few submerged rocks visible only during low tide?/PN
