We
are starting to create living nightmares out of our own prejudices and false
beliefs that we cannot stand against a sleeping giant. While we are having
these shadow games with China, we cannot solve our domestic problems. We are
like a house being constantly ransacked at the same time ignorant and
nonchalant that everything is just alright – simply because we do not want to
step out of the house. We know that the burglar has infiltrated the foundations
of the house – only to find that the burglar is not there where you thought he
is there – and for every foundation being crippled by the constant ransacking
and stealing, the very house that we came to live with everybody else starts to
crumble down – until we wait for the time burglar steals the home’s precious
jewels, decides to ignite the house on fire.
What
we don’t realize is that we end up in a hellish sea of fire – just because of
being so ignorant of what’s happening around. Just because we have not stood up
to dissent China the same way we are like cowards when inciting argumentative
blows on what we believe in. How Ironic. How can we actually speak about how so
messianic a leader is if we can’t join hands in taking stance that another
country can’t just capture the islands of another, aided by the ruling of an
International Arbitration Court? Is this the death of common sense itself, or
the death of a national identity?
Mr.
Armando Herendia, a member of the DefensePH forums puts into light how it seems
that we have emerged as the cowards of ASEAN while being backstabbed by China:
“So let's continue the
lesson. Why are people afraid of having the Philippines push back on the
Chinese at Panatag? I've heard: WW3, nukes, and yes someone started talking to
me about chemtrails. Ugh.
So let's be clear: Indonesia
has seized and publicly televised blowing up Chinese vessels caught fishing in
their waters. Did they get nuked? Did WW3 start that week? Did Indonesia become
a Chinese state after being invaded by PRC Marines? No.”
Even
Argentina – a South American Country which is thousands of miles away from the
Philippine coastline at that – can publicly show their Navy blasting Chinese
ships lurking on their waters. China has the whole Pacific Ocean to own for
crying out loud. But why not the Philippines? We are a country having the
oceans and seas as our Iron Curtain, with a strategic defense position in the
Asia Pacific Region. Unlike Russia’s takeover of Crimea, we are not in a
landlock dispute that redraws our current territorial domain. We are fortunate
enough that this dispute with China has not turned into a literally
geographical takeover.
Mr.
Heredia ignites a flicker of hope through the example of the BRP Sierra Madre:
“Why haven't we been able to
push back at Panatag? The answer is quite simple, and is the same answer as to
why we grounded an LST called Sierra Madre to keep a shoal. For DECADES, the
Philippines has lacked ships that have the RANGE, SPEED and ENDURANCE to stay
out in the Spratleys as well as Panatag, Benham and other contested areas in
order to maintain a Presence.”
What is a Presence? Parang
bantay tao sa bahay mo habang nasa bakasyon ka. It is a physical presence to
ensure you know what is going on at a location, and more importantly, a local
way to exert power.”
The
Chinese are playing with our ideology – or if any exists within us Filipinos.
Because they know that we, the Filipino people serving as the electorate who
put our officials in power, don’t have a sense of national social
consciousness, that we’d rather complain endlessly on a problem than work in
unison amidst dissent in political belief to solve the problem.
But
amidst all the aggression and underestimation of China on the Philippines’
military might, our firm resolve to assert our sovereignty is growing ever
stronger, with the military buildup that we’re strengthening, backed by an International
Arbitration Rule:
“The Chinese have perfected
the Presence game. We, all of us in Asia, are playing catch up. That's the
thing about the Chinese, they think in terms of 30 years - that's there short
term plan. Over 30 years ago, they saw reaching the situation and the power
they have today and they worked their ass off for it. Can we say the same? In
order to keep Panatag, Benham, and the few other locations that the Chinese
have bit yet reclaimed and seized, we need to establish a Presence at those
locations.
In 2012, there was exactly
ONE ship that could reach any location contested by the Chinese, at a speed
that made the response timely, and it didn't matter what the sea conditions
were like. That ship was the Gregorio del Pilar. The former US Coast Guard
cutter was designed to cruise 10,000 nautical miles, at a very decent speed,
and was originally able to handle sea conditions that would sink any other PN
vessels - the rest of whom are the WW2 era ships we are still trying to replace
today. Today there are three del Pilars, and now the PCG will soon have four
out of ten Parola class patrol vessels bought from Japan.
The Chinese have kept a Presence everywhere.
You've seen them guarding the shoal at Panatag. You've seen them interfering
with the resupply vessel at Sierra Madre. You've seen them water cannoning and
tasering our poor fishermen. A conventional shooting war will not start if we
put up our own Presence.
The Chinese cannot escalate
and still make it look like they are the aggrieved party, for as long as the
Philippines uses unarmed PCG BFAR and other non-military ships. This is the
only way we can secure Panatag. We need to stop being afraid to protect and
assert our rights over what is ours. The more ships we have that meet those
three requirements, the better off we will be.”
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
-US
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Photo: Rappler.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment