Mad dogs in politics

Politics has never been bad to the country as it has been during the Marcos regime. The fact alone that it has set us back twenty years defines the degree of its viciousness.

The sad thing is that its negative effect continues to be perpetuated by those corrupted that to this day we are mired in a hole that we are finding ourselves hard to extricate.

If we continue to pet some of these rabid animals disguised in all kinds of venality brought about by similar words like arrogance, hubris, self-importance, high-handedness, imperiousness, etc., and allow it to be used upon us, time and again, then we are only to blame and perhaps deserve where we find ourselves in.

But, least we forget, we have the power to change some of these animals’ behavior, whom we already have identified as doing the people and this country more harm than good, so that the ones we are replacing them with can start pulling us from the muck we are all bogged down and make this country proud again.

Compared to the number of these mad dog-aspirants in politics, we, who are better known as the electorate, are many and can easily overwhelm them when the right time comes, but only if we use our free will and accord, the way God has gifted us with.

What I am simply saying is this: It does not take for the electorate to have, each, a club to clobber some of these mad dogs. We only have to wait for that day, called the elections day, for all of us to be united and be unanimous in our conviction not to vote for those whom we think are mad dogs or prospective mad dogs. It only takes a pen or a pencil to knock them cold in the race. That is how easily we can beat them.

But, I know I am talking about the impossible.

There are still many out there who are corruption-addicted and they go along with these animals as they are part of their culture and enjoy seeing them play tricks before the people on games like the politics of convenience, politics of expediency, patronage politics, and politics of profitability, otherwise known as business politics.

I do not understand why known traditional political parties who have produced illustrious statesman and politicians in the past are now coalescing and making alliances that include mediocre candidates in there senatorial tickets? Hard to believe that money and fame can make one a senator! What more proof to show when we have them already? Do we need more of them?

Talking about mad dogs, a lady senator before, in the peak of her anger, has called a colleague ‘azkal’ or ‘asong kalye’ (street dog), and guess where they are now – together and running under the same party, but not barking .. er.. talking! How about that? The same lady senatorial aspirant was a staunch critic of a former presidential aspirant, but now she finds herself in the same party with the wife of the latter who continues to be nauseous about her.

Politics makes strange bedfellows, indeed.

How about the young, brass, former military turned politician turned bogus negotiator, who, not too long ago wanted us all to believe that his expertise was instrumental in easing tensions at the Panatag shoal, and now wants to be re-elected senator? The nerve!

Alas, we never learn.

We continue letting politics go to the dogs, the vicious ones, to our disadvantage and to the nation’s shame.

Trillanes has yet to prove he is not a liar

Senator Antonio Trillanes

The biggest issue now confronting Sen. Antonio Trillanes after his verbal tussle with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is how to convincingly parry allegations that he is a liar.

From some of the people he made references about, to the statements he allegedly made, which were all contained in the now famous Brady notes (in reference to former Ambassador to China Sonia Brady), many are implying Trillanes was lying.

Do I have reason to doubt these people calling Trillanes a liar? Not at all. Neither do I question the integrity of the Brady notes, not even for a second, that it did not exist. Enrile is smart and respectful enough not to smear the highly regarded name of  Brady by using her notes without her expressed approval.

The fact that Enrile obtained Brady’s notes and used it to pin down a half-baked, if not bogus negotiator, simply meant that something was awfully wrong with Trillanes’ backchannel negotiations with Beijing, even in the presence of Brady, and that there was an urgent need to unmask who Trillanes really is, as it was jeopardizing our position of strength in the territorial dispute with China and putting at risk  the interest and security of the nation.

Even if Trillanes snootily told Brady not to take notes, as earlier reported, the lady has brains and memory that remembers everything that have transpired in the discussion, and, thus the reproduction of the notes. Is that hard for Trillanes to  comprehend why Enrile had Brady’s notes?  You don’t underestimate an old fox like Enrile.

And so, what is happening now?

There is the camp of former President-turned-Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) that says that Trillanes lied when he claimed that the congresswoman called on Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (JPE) to push for the passage of the proposed law dividing the province of Camarines Sur.

“No, she (Mrs. Arroyo) never called Enrile regarding (splitting) Camarines Sur, she never called, nor talked to JPE about it,” said Elena Bautista-Horn, Mrs. Arroyo’s chief of staff and spokesperson.

Even former President Joseph Estrada called Trillanes a “liar,” “ungrateful,” and “crazy” for allegedly destroying other people’s names just to get publicity.

“This Trillanes is really a liar. I don’t think the Senate President will allow him to be a lackey of anybody. I know him,” Estrada said in a phone patch interview with Senate reporters.

Then comes Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan calling Trillanes a “liar” for insinuating that he has instigated the anti-China tirade to protect his business interest.

“I can tell him this to his face ‘you’re a liar,’” Pangilinan said in a phone call from Tokyo.

Another public official that has come forward calling Trillanes a liar is Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, who was allegedly link by Trillanes as having a hand in the rumored plot to unseat Enrile as Senate President.

How else would you call the brash Trillanes who vehemently denies  saying that he suspected that the United States was involved in creating tension in Panatag Shoal and that Del Rosario was “committing treason” and in fact has branded the latter as “traitor”?

Is Trillanes denying that he stated, “no one cares about Panatag Shoal in the Philippines”, and that the Philippines “cannot enforce coastal protection”?

Are Brady’s notes lying?

Alleging that Enrile is a lackey of GMA is not so bad as when people start perceiving that Trillanes is a lackey of Beijing. Now talking about who has committed treason!

Indeed, Trillanes has yet to prove he is not a liar.

The Enrile-Trillanes clash: From national issue to international shame

Senate President Enrile in heated altercation with Senator Trillanes

The harsh exchanges between Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV showcased to the public the good, the bad and the ugly, not only of the person, but what politics is all about.

What started to be a privilege speech by Trillanes on personal and political issues careened into an embarrassing subject that should have been better kept under wraps than being exposed for the international audience to see the recklessness and folly of our politicians when it comes to matters deserving of utmost confidentiality.

The clash between the two senators of the realm was not a classic battle of the titans, but rather, it was more a war of words between the impulsiveness of youth and the cautiousness of the overly matured; between a neophyte legislator and a veteran parliamentarian; between an amateur politician and a professional one, many times over; between the ambitious and the fulfilled.

At the end Trillanes, the inexperienced, stormed out of the session hall rattled up, after calling the Senate President a bully, while Enrile, the grizzled one, stayed behind, calling at the fading sight of Trillanes a coward.

But, that is going ahead of the story.

The national issue raised by Trillanes that made him call Enrile “a lackey of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA)” is not something new that we haven’t heard before. Trillanes, however, perceives that Enrile is pushing for approval of the controversial bill seeking to divide Camarines Sur province in time for the 2013 elections upon instigation of GMA.

Least we forget, anything that has got to do with GMA and family is anathema to Trillanes. After all, she was the reason for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 standoff at the Manila Peninsula hotel in Makati City, where he called for GMA’s ouster. Whether you call all these patriotism or intrepidity, the fact is that he had to spend seven and a half years for it in jail.

No doubt the Oakwood incident has clearly defined who Trillanes is as a soldier and as a person. His lack of respect for authority and the learned, bordering on defiance and superiority, has been very glaring and despising.

Sad to say that this soldier turned politician haven’t learned to shed off these unfavorable traits and to this day continue to exhibit and flaunt it anywhere he goes. It even looks like that his narcissistic demeanor has gotten worst now that he is a senator of the realm.

For what better proof is there than when Trillanes himself confirmed that it was him who was behind the ouster move against Enrile, when speculations were rife that somebody wanted the latter to be unseated?

And so, while Trillanes was curtly disparaging at Enrile in his privilege speech, the latter had also prepared a bombshell that he wanted to drop on Trillanes face. And without much ado, he started questioning Trillanes about his role in the territorial dispute the country has with China.

Apparently, the animosity between Enrile and Trillanes over the issue with China started as early as May yet when the former asked the latter during a cabinet meeting, who authorized him to have secret talks with the Chinese officials. Trillanes resented this question.

“Wasn’t it your duty to notify the Office of the Senate President when you leave this country?” I don’t know how many times you have been to China but I recall six times?  I am now hearing reports you were there 15 times,” Enrile asked.

“Are you becoming the fifth columnist of China in this country? Who paid for those trips to Beijing?” he further asked Trillanes.

Fifth columnist refers to a member of a clandestine subversive organization who tries to help a potential invader.

Surely, Enrile knows where he stands with regards to the senate rules and procedures involving the members of the senate, and clearly it shows Trillanes defying it.

The question now that is in most people’s mind is: Can Trillanes work as a subordinate or does he want to be the boss all the time?

Listen to what more Enrile has found from former Ambassador to China Sonia Brady’s notes about Trillanes in his pronouncements and show of disrespect for  people of authority:

• That the Chinese wanted the Philippines to “tone down the rhetoric” on its incursion in Panatag Shoal.

• That Trillanes suspected that the United States was involved in creating tension in Panatag Shoal and that Del Rosario was “committing treason.”

• That Trillanes “was protecting the Chinese,” “was alarmist” and accused Del Rosario of “creating a war event.”

• That Trillanes asked businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, a close friend of Del Rosario, to advise the secretary “to keep quiet, to quiet down” apparently because the secretary held a press conference decrying Chinese presence in Panatag Shoal

• That Trillanes stated “no one cares about Panatag Shoal in the Philippines.”

• That Trillanes said the Philippines “cannot enforce coastal protection” since fishermen subsist only on fishing and cannot venture far out.

• That Trillanes boasted that he was able to make 40 Chinese ships leave Panatag Shoal.

• That Trillanes volunteered to become the “direct channel” between China and Malacañang.

At the end Enrile has this to say: “I do not want to discuss anymore this sordid matter. It is enough that I read the notes of Ambassador Brady to unmask this ‘Phantom of the Opera’ in Philippine politics. My God, this guy is a fraud.”

Fraud and, perhaps, a great pretender. Pretending to be an accomplished diplomat, a clever negotiator, a brilliant lawyer, and a bona fide mediator of disputes – all of which he is not. But, a high regarded coup plotter, yes.

So who is he to belittle the credentials of Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and call him a traitor?

Indeed, this is one national issue that has gone international and awry.

What a shame.

Thank God for Benham Rise – Part II

 

Benham Rise is 2,000 to 5,000 meters deep

The first part was written on August 16, 2011 with the title ‘Philippines pin hopes on Benham Rise’.

After submitting and defending a claim before the UN commission in 2008 for the 13-million hectare area off the coast of Aurora in Luzon, by virtue of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea’s (UNCLOS) definition of the continental shelf as “the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea” up to 370 km (200 nautical miles) from the archipelagic baseline, a reply from the UN was received asking the government to answer some questions before formally approving our claim through a resolution intended to be passed in 2012.

Perhaps the defense was articulately argued and the answers to the questions, convincing, that it made Benham Rise the Philippines’ first successful validation of a territorial claim under UNCLOS.

Finally, Benham Rise is legally ours! Thank God for Benham Rise!

Fortunately, unlike Scarborough Shoal or the Panatag Shoal and other portions of the South China Sea, no other country claims the area that is almost a quarter bigger than the 10.5-million hectare Luzon.

UNCLOS, incidentally, is the same UN convention the Philippines is invoking in its ongoing dispute with China over Scarborough Shoal.

“We own Benham Rise now. This is for future Filipinos,” Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje said.

Indeed it is. I may never see it explored and developed in my generation, but it feels good heading towards the sunset years of my life that the succeeding generations faces a brighter future.

According to experts Benham Rise keeps a large amount of heavy metals like manganese, whose accumulation into manganese nodules can help in the production of steel, among other things.

Considering the area is a seabed, which is known to contain gas hydrates, Benham Rise is also potentially a rich source of natural gas, according to them.

What I can only hope and pray is that, from here on, we shall continue having leaders and public servants who has the interest of the nation and the welfare of the people over and above their own hidden personal and political agendas.

 

45th ASEAN meeting in Phnom Penh ended sans joint communiqué

45th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting chaired by Cambodia

For the first time in its 45-year history, the annual meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers last week in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh has failed to issue its customary joint statement.

The communiqué is normally a summation of the achieved agreements during the past working year, and an outline of matters that still need to be tackled.

From this particular meeting, member nations, specifically the Philippines, was expecting that a code of conduct be stated in resolving territorial disputes, in reference to the recent standoff between the Philippines and China in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc, in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) claimed by both countries.

The Philippines took strong exception to the statement of Cambodian Prime Minister Hor Namhong, who announced that “this will be the first time that the ASEAN is not able to issue the Joint Communiqué due to bilateral conflict between some ASEAN member-states and a neighboring country.”

Phl Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario

In a statement, Foreign Affairs  Secretary Albert del Rosario  blamed Cambodia for the non-issuance of the joint communiqué, for “consistently  opposing any mention of the Scarborough Shoal  at all” and for announcing that a joint communiqué “cannot be issued.”

Cambodia is a staunch ally of China, which had earlier warned ASEAN countries not to mention  anything about the contentious  issue on the South China Sea during security meetings in Phnom Penh. The warning was  a rebuff of a US recommendation urging  ASEAN members to formulate a legally-binding Code of Conduct.

The long-stalled code of conduct, strongly supported by the United States, is seen as a way of reducing the chances of a spat over fishing, shipping rights or oil and gas exploration tipping into an armed conflict.

Analysts say Cambodia may have played Beijing’s hand in refusing to agree on the Philippines and Vietnam’s demands to include the standoff at the Scarborough Shoal in the final draft of the joint communiqué.

Del Rosario also laid the blame on China, whom he accused as trying to bully the country.

“If Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction can be denigrated by a powerful country through pressure, intimidation, the threat of use of force and economic pressure, the international community should be concerned about the behavior of this member-state, which has negative implications to the overall peace and stability and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea,” del Rosario lamented.

The US has said it does not take sides on the issue of territorial claims, but that it has an     “interest on freedom of navigation, the maintenance of peace and stability, respect for international law and unimpeded lawful commerce in the South China Sea.”

What is regrettable about this development is that even Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa was reported to be saying in an interview that: “This is strange territory for me. It’s very, very disappointing that at this 11th hour, ASEAN is not able to rally around a certain common language on the South China Sea.  We’ve gone through so many problems in the past, but we’ve never failed to speak as one.”

The question now is: Because the ASEAN bloc is being rendered impotent, by China’s looming shadow, to speak as one voice, are we seeing then the beginning of the end of this organization whose aim is to accelerate economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully?

Churches should leave sovereignty problem to the state

 

Catholic Bishop Iniguez, co-chair of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum

The Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF), an interdenominational organization of churches in the Philippines, that includes the Catholic Church, has recently issued a statement accusing the government of trying to increase US military presence in the country.

A notable signatory to the statement originating from the left-leaning organization is said to be Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, the public affairs chief of the country’s influential Catholic bishops, who count about 80 per cent of Filipinos as followers.

No matter the disclaimer of Roy Lagarde, a media officer of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), that Iniguez signed the document in a personal capacity and that the CBCP did not endorse his views, still it leaves people’s eyebrows raised. It is not CBCP if it does not support the advocacy of a ranking member prelate.

The statement came in the wake of President Benigno Aquino’s recent visit to the US where he met US President Barack Obama to seek greater US help to boost the country’s defenses amid a two-month long standoff between Philippine and Chinese troops over the Scarborough Shoal.

“The Scarborough conflict is only being made an excuse in order for the US to deploy their forces in the Asia-Pacific to protect its economic interest in the region and to counteract its economic rival China’s expansionism,” the communiqué said.

How could the EBF issue such a bulletin when the nation, and the whole world for that matter, know that China has shown no sign of backing down on its reaffirmation, assertiveness and claim of its sovereignty over the disputed outcrop in the South China Sea, more known to us as Panatag shoal.

It is for this reason that the standoff between Philippine and Chinese troops continue, and it is for this reason that protests are being held against China.

The standoff has also highlighted how poorly-equipped the Philippines is, to handle such external challenges.

While we understand that this dispute can only be resolved through diplomatic means, still the government opted to seek military assistance from the US and from any nation sympathetic to our problem and willing to help us just so we will not be bullied by this behemoth economic and military power, which has not minced words in claiming sovereignty over all its archipelagos and islands in the South China Seas.

To protest and spew rhetoric against China is the only way we, Filipinos, can show our patriotism.

What kind of nationalism or protest have the churches shown? What has the Catholic hierarchy done in terms of declaring our sole right and sovereignty over the contested areas in the South China Seas, or on the Scarborough shoal, for that matter? Theirs could be a meaningful voice, but where is it?

Does China’s expansionism in this region sits well with the EBF members?

To say, therefore, that the state is using the disputed area as an excuse for increasing US troop numbers in the country is illogical, at best, and idiotic, at worst.

If for no other reason, we call upon the EBF, in general, and the Catholic Church, in particular, to refrain from making pronouncement on matters relating to state functions so it cannot be said that they are meddling in the sovereignty problem that the government of President Aquino alone has the power to resolve.

 

China shuns diplomatic solution on shoal dispute

Enclosed the red line are the disputed areas in the South China Sea

How else would one interpret the latest Chinese declaration over the highly disputed Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal or what Beijing calls Huangyan Island, when this economic giant and military bully ignores the sovereign rights of a small, struggling, nation and claims the whole South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) and what is underneath it as its territory by virtue of historical grounds and that it won’t never go to court to settle the matter?

A declaration of hostilities, sort of, isn’t it?

Is this the way to settle territorial disputes in the 21^st century by intimidation, provocation and military muscle flexing instead of using diplomatic approach as the appropriate and rational way of settling issues that has to do with sovereign rights?

The court referred to here is the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) in Hamburg, Germany, where the country feels would be the real arbiter for such a contentious issue.

The Philippines insists that the shoal belongs to the country simply because of its extreme proximity to Zambales, which is 220 km only, compared to 840 km from the nearest coast of China in Hainan province.

Yet, China wants that the Philippines should “fully respect China’s sovereignty” and with a threatening tone even said that the Philippine government must “commit to the consensus we reached on settling the incident through friendly diplomatic consultations, and not to complicate or aggravate this incident so that peace and stability in that area can be reached.”

Is this saying that China is giving the Philippines an ultimatum?

If China has historical proof to show that the contested shoal is part of their territory, then why can’t they agree to show it to the whole world or bring it to the ITLOS? Why swiftly reject the proposal of the Philippine government that the dispute be resolved by the UN-backed ITLOS?

On the other hand, what the Philippines will bring to the ITLOS, with or without Chinese representatives, are old maps of the ‘Archipelago Filipino’ dating back to Spanish colonial times showing that “Bajo Scarburo,” the shoal now called Panatag by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), is a constituent part of Sambalez (now Zambales province).

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, who has a collection of ancient maps of the country said that the maps would easily disprove the territorial claim of China to the shoal and its surrounding waters, which in the first place do not show any historical or legal grounds under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (Unclos).

“It’s clear that Scarborough Shoal is part of our cartography during the Spanish colonial times,” he said. “We have maps (reproduced) from the original, which was made in 1734. During that time, Scarborough is already part of the Philippines.”

An 1875 map was the “product of the most comprehensive mapping and charting work in the Philippines lasting more than 20 years (1849-1870).”

Angara said the original maps were deposited at Spain’s Museo Naval de Madrid.

The question now is: If this testament to our ownership of the shoal is not honored by China, what will stop them from disembarking on our territory and stripping us of our dignity?

Let us be pragmatic about it. We need help. We can’t stand on our own. We need the support of the world community before this part of the world becomes a flashpoint.

ASEAN should be a force to reckon with

Member nations of ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a group of ten member countries that was organized to encourage political, economic, and social cooperation in the region for the good of each country and the welfare of their people.

According to ASEAN’s guiding document, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), there are six fundamental principles members have to adhere to and they are:

1) Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations.

2) The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion.

3) Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another.

4) Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner.

5) Renunciation of the threat or use of force.

6) Effective cooperation among themselves.

From these fundamental principles one will immediately notice that the ASEAN is devoid of any military alliance. The organization is simply anchored on economic grounds.

Having said that, while member nations has respect for one another’s sovereignty, each member also demands that nations outside of their organization must also recognize their dominion over their lands and whatever else that belongs legally to them.

It is in this context that as the whole world is seeing how China is flexing its military muscles with impunity in the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea, as the government has come to call it, specifically in areas where the Spratly group of islands (south of the Phl)and the Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal (north of the Phl) are located, the Aquino government is asking the ASEAN to take a stand on the dispute with China over territorial claims as other member nations have also a stake in some parts of the contested region.

While we are claiming only that which the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) guarantees as within the 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), China’s argument, however, is that the whole of the West Philippine Sea is theirs on the basis of [its] nine-dash line claim, using a historical record.

China's historic nine-dash claim

The nine-dash claim is China’s delineation of its territory in the South China Sea, with nine dashes on the map that enclose all of the Spratly archipelago, parts of which are claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

But, how could, for instance, China include in its claim the Scarborough Shoal, a protrusion of reefs lying north of the Spratlys and only 120 km off Zambales province on the western coast of Luzon? How could it be theirs when it is even less than the 200 nautical miles EEZ as prescribed by UNCLOS when it talks about the country’s continental shelf?

If China is claiming a solid mass that close to our shore, what will stop China from claiming Palawan later on?

It is for this reason that the ASEAN, as a group of respected nations with equally respected and competent leaders, should come out supportive of our claim and united and forceful in condemning the aggression and expansionist role China is playing in the region of the South China Sea, for if it could happen to us, it could, without doubt, happen to them, too.

The Philippines is thankful for Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario for spearheading this move and for standing by his argument that ‘abiding by the rules set by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is the legitimate way of dealing with conflicting territorial claims in the disputed waters.’

ASEAN must show China that even without military alliance it remains a force to be reckoned with.

The Scarborough Shoal standoff

Viewing the Chinese maritime surveillance ship

Much has been written about the standoff between a Philippine Navy (PN) ship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15), and a couple of Chinese maritime surveillance ships identified as Zhonggou Haijian 75 and Zhonggou Haijian 84 which came to the rescue of the eight Chinese fishing vessels when the former was about to arrest the Chinese fishermen.

This incident happened after a PN surveillance plane found the eight Chinese fishing boats anchored inside the Scarborough Shoal on April 8.

Continued monitoring was done of their presence and since there was no sign of them going anywhere, the PF-15 was deployed from Palawan to Northern Luzon, specifically in the Scarborough Shoal area, to continue conducting their maritime patrol, especially in the wake of this worrisome report of a Chinese intrusion in Philippine waters.

Standoff site

In the morning of April 10, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, in accordance with the established rules of engagement, dispatched a boarding team to inspect the fishing vessels and collect photos and other evidence of their catch.

“The inspection team reported that large amounts of illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks were found inside the compartments of the first fishing vessel that was boarded by the PN team,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

To this day it remains a wonder what else the rest of the vessels may have contained. Why? Because the PN troop never came to apprehend any one of the Chinese intruders, much less detain any of their vessels, nor unloaded any of their cargo. It was then that the two Chinese surveillance ships appeared and maneuvered to be between the PF-15 and the poachers in a clear sign of utter intimidation and provocation.

There is really nothing much we can do but cry ‘foul”. We don’t have the muscle nor are we in any position of strength to stop any intrusion by Chinese fishing vessels from happening again.

Even our strongest argument that the Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal, as the Philippine government calls it, is an integral part of the territory, it being within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, acknowledged and supported by international law, is not being listened to by the Chinese government.

China’s contention is and has always been that the Scarborough Shoal or Huangyan Island as they refer to it, and all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the coast of other countries and hundreds of kilometers (miles) from its own landmass are theirs, historically.

We are not only incapable of defending our waters and our sovereignty militarily, but how can one win an argument when your basis for the claim, the modern United Nation Convention in the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is not respected  because what should settle the issue is the centuries-old history?

So, where do we go from here? No where really. Will the same problem crop up again in the future? Absolutely!

The latest on this issue is that while the PH-15 was pulled out for food replenishment and refueling, it has been reported that the Chinese fishing vessels, including the surveillance ship, had already left the shoal, perhaps heading home or poaching some more, somewhere.

Whether it was a result of diplomatic talks that the intruders left or they were forced to leave by the Chinese government, and to hell with how the Philippine government reacts, the fact remains that we have more to lose and nothing to gain by fighting a Goliath.

Prudence remains a better option for a poor and weak nation.

But, shall we forever be a victim of the bullying tactics of the Chinese military power and allow our honor to be violated time and again?

The bigger question in fact is: When push comes to shove, will the U.S., with whom the Philippines has a mutual defense pact, come to our aid or will the country’s closest ally will leave us high and dry?