Status of Philippine Stab at Diplomacy

Since we started calling our fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea as ‘PANATAG SHOALS’ and China naming it ‘HUANYANG ISLAND’ – our relationship with China began to be defined in an altogether different terms.

Centuries have passed and we never had this problem. Until possible oil fields can be extracted underneath.With China’s voracious appetite for ‘black gold’ to fuel its economy, trouble began.

On January 2013, the legal battle was ignited as the Philippines filed legal claims to U.N. Convention Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to invalidate the “Nine-dash” line of China. The complaint was rejected by the latter for they do not adhere to the policies of UNCLOS. . China is of course flexing its muscles and wants to show to the world big time that history and indeed the whole of the Pacific is hers for the taking!

China wants one-on-one talk with the Philippines. We want a multilateral one.

Where things stand now

1. A bully of a country decided to ease a weakling from the playground – as it were.
2. We have initiated talks with neighboring countries that has likewise been bullied by China; Vietnam for one.
3. We decided to come up with another agreement with the US - ‘EDCA’ – The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. Outgoing AFP Chief General Emmanuel Bautista minced no words: “EDCA is a creative way for the Philippine Government to improve deterrence and face challenges to national security with the help of an ally, the United States...” In short, we sought out a much ‘bigger bully’ to be on our side. However, EDCA’s constitutionality remains questionable.
4. Meantime China increased military presence by putting up several structures and reportedly preparing to put up an air strip.
5. The Philippines show bluster by grounding an old unusable warship at the Ayongin Shoal since 1999, the BRP Sierra Madre, now using it to house our troops – supplying it recently with Jollibee and KFC.

1. China obviously believes in ‘Might is Right’ while the Philippines sticks to the Arthurian principle embodied in Knights of the Round Table ‘Right is Might’.
2. China can impact negatively on our economy as she showed several years back when she banned our banana, pineapples and other agricultural exports.
3. China can suspend their tourist from coming to the Philippines as shown after the botched Rizal Park hostage rescue. This also showed how incompetent are uniformed personnel are.
4. It has a 1.4million standing army with modern equipment.

1. We have God on our side since we are predominantly a Catholic Country; and Allah is on our side too for the 10% of our Muslim brothers.
2. We have 120,000 thousand soldiers for a ratio of only 1:12. Kayang-Kaya yan plus we have ‘anting-antings’. These are the bravest and courageous soldiers in the world – except we value and honor our defeats (Bataan march, etc) than our victories.
3. We have the WWII vintage BRP Gregorio del Pilar Warship and Vietnam war antiques, but Filipinos are good at repairs.
4. We have the best Coast Guards in the world – in fact 3 of them climbed Mount Everest (although we can’t count on how this will impact on Chinese fishermen raids).
5. Now presumably, we have the Americans ‘on our side’. But the problem with recruiting a bully to our side fighting another bully is – what if both agree that for their mutual economic benefits, they don’t need the Philippines after all.

1. Let’s start a movement for the Philippines to be the 51st State of the USA. Thus we truly can be part of America.
2. Or, we just simply declare war against China.