ON THE third week of September in 2016, this column discussed a serious allegation brought to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee by Zambales’ Gov. Amor D. Deloso that China mined Philippine soil and rocks, resulting to the flattening of two mountains in Sta. Cruz, Zambales. The soil and rocks were allegedly used to expand Scarborough Shoal into a military base and airport with operational missiles.
Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the committee, acting on the serious security implications of such intrusion to Philippine territory, promptly called the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to investigate the allegations of Governor Deloso.
Deloso took over the governorship of Zambales on July 1, 2016 from former governor Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. who failed to attend the Gordon Senate hearing but was represented by counsel.
Governor Deloso said provincial records showed that 999 trucks hauled soil and rocks to the Sta. Cruz harbor in Zambales night and day for almost two years during the term of Governor Ebdane. The filling materials were brought by barges to Scarborough Shoal and made possible the building of the Chinese Military Base and airport now in the area.
Gordon, in his call for investigation, said he was willing to undertake a closed-door session with the AFP and DFA on this serious security infraction as any construction and expansion of Scarborough Shoal is contrary to the United Nations arbitral court at the Hague on the Philippine-China territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
With the very serious national security breach, how come that up to now we heard no further news about that Senate investigation of 2016?
What happened to the investigation, Chairman Sen. Richard Gordon, sir?
Now, we have again this complaint filed by two previous government officials, namely former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales against President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders for crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Beijing’s transgressions in the South China Sea.
Del Rosario and Morales lodged their complaint on behalf of Filipinos or specifically for the hundreds of thousands of Filipino fishermen who are being “persecuted and injured” by China’s aggressive island building and occupation of islands in the West Philippine Sea, which is part of the South China Sea and within our country’s 370-kilomeer exclusive economic zone.
Also named as “perpetrators” in the complaint were China’s Foreign Minister and State Counsellor Wang Yi and its ambassador to the Philippines, Zhao Jianhua.
First, we long complained about China encroaching into Philippine territory and building an airport and missile site with filling materials ironically supplied and sourced from us, which the Senate investigated way back in 2016 but still without announced results.
Now we have this additional accusation against Chinese public officials for transgressions in the West Philippine Sea.
But our incumbent government under President Duterte dissociates itself from all these complaints against China and continue to avail itself of financing for our public works projects from the Chinese even if local banks are teeming with funds to lend.
Yes, why can’t we put our acts together?
China has never taken us seriously on the West Philippine Sea issue and continue to expand its fortifications, our complaints notwithstanding.
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GEM OF THOUGHT
“A word for the wise ain’t necessary – it’s the stupid ones that need advice.” – Bill Crosby (For comments or re-actions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.ccom)/PN
