ShareThis
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on March 23 that “Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Saturday twitted activists for their silence on the country’s territorial dispute with China, while they loudly protest the Philippines’ new defense cooperation agreement with the United States.”
Did Gazmin use Twitter, which has been banned in Turkey, to “twit” his message? Or was “twitted” used by the writer in the pre-Twitter context of “talking in a chattering fashion”? It was likely the latter because Gazmin’s “twit” exceeded the 140 characters maximum allowed on Twitter.
Gazmin’s “twit” continued: “Our problem is we keep on complaining [about] the Enhanced Defense Cooperation (with the US). Why don’t we complain when the Chinese [used] water [cannons] on us? Why? Where is our Filipino spirit? We demonstrate against those who are helping us but we don’t demonstrate against those who are bullying us…This fight [for territory], it’s not only the leaders who are involved. It’s all the Filipinos. It’s the problem of the Filipinos. This is not just a problem of President Aquino. It is a problem of Juan, a problem of Pedro.” Gazmin should have also added “a problem of Maria”.
Regardless of what “twit” it was, Gazmin is right to be alarmed. China is singularly focused on occupying Ayungin Shoal – as a prelude to seizing control of oil-rich Recto Bank -and the Filipino people are apparently divided on the issue.
In a media briefing in Beijing on March 17, China claimed that soon after the Philippines grounded a WW II vintage ship (the Sierra Madre) in Ayungin Shoal (planned by outgoing Pres. Ramos), incoming Pres. Joseph Estrada made an “unequivocal commitment to China” in 1999 that the Philippines “would tow away the ship” grounded in Ayungin.
Exactly how do you “tow away” a grounded ship? The government would have to repair the hole in the hull of the ship in order to make it floatable so it could be towed, a very expensive process.
According to China spokesman Hong Lei, this “solemn commitment” was reiterated by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2003. Was this one of the 65 bilateral agreements Arroyo entered into with China that exceeded the 8 agreements that Marcos signed with China? Was the $300 M contract GMA signed with China’s ZTE to set up a $120 M broadband network in the Philippines part of the agreement?
These previous commitments by Estrada and Arroyo were never disclosed by China before. What is surprising is that the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has not specifically denied that the previous presidents made such commitments. What is disappointing is that not one single Philippine elected official has commented on this issue. Not one senator or representative has demanded to verify if such commitments were made.
Are these senators or representatives fearful of losing the support of their Chinese Filipino Taipan backers if they speak out against China?
In a democracy like the Philippines, presidents cannot unilaterally cede territory to another country at least without the approval of Congress. Even then, such an order would face a constitutional challenge because neither Congress nor the President can give away the “patrimony” of the country just like that.
Just to be perfectly clear, agreeing to “tow away” the marine outpost that guards our Ayungin Shoal is tantamount to giving China free rein to seize the Ayungin Shoal.
So why have there been no Philippine newspaper editorials demanding to know if Estrada and Arroyo committed treason by secretly acceding to China’s demands?
When China used water cannons –using feces-infested toilet water – on Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal last February, why were there no Filipino street protests against China’s bullying sadistic act against Filipino fishermen who were just trying to earn a living?
When Pres. Aquino called on the world to guard against appeasing China’s lust for Philippine territories to gobble up as Hitler did in 1938 with the Sudetenland, Philippine leftist organizations were quick to denounce Aquino for making the Hitler comparison. But these same organizations, in their demonstrations against the Aquino government, routinely use papier mache caricatures of Aquino sporting a Hitler moustache with a swastika on his arm.
Why are these groups more concerned about antagonizing China?
The only chance the Philippines has of defending its sovereign territory is if the United States is there to protect the Philippines or is at least perceived by China to be ready to defend the Philippines from a Chinese invasion of any of its territories.
If it was all right for China to use the American card in 1972 when it faced a border dispute with the Soviet Union, why is it inappropriate for the Philippines to do the same now?
If Sec. Gazmin used Tweeter to send a message to China, he would write:
“We will defend Ayungin Shoal to the last soldier standing with the support of Juan, Pedro and Maria in the Philippines and abroad. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!” There, less than 140 characters.
(Send comments to Rodel50@gmail.com or mail them to the Law Offices of Rodel Rodis at 2429 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127 or call 415.334.7800).