Category: china

Worth dying for

Jose Ma. Montelibano

… Our Presidents want to defend our sovereignty, but they also want to save our lives. They are in a quandary but they will always be unless we, the people, show them a way out of their dilemma. China is a given, and so are its more than a billion people, its land area, it economic and military resources, its level of technology. Before, and China itself was proud of saying this before, China did not invade other nations while it itself was invaded several times. Today, the perspective of the leadership of China is vastly different. Today it has a Nine Dash Line, its own idea of what in the world belongs to it. And it is willing to flex its military muscle to get it.

Maybe it is time to count if there are Filipinos who are afraid of dying but may still choose death over a shameful life. There may be only a few, that that would make our President avoid a war at all costs. But there may be enough, a million or so, who would freely choose the possibility of death rather than endless submission to an invader whose limits of aggression we still cannot measure.

I had proposed to some friends of my generation the idea that those 60 years old and above can volunteer to be the first to offer our lives. Then, a second wave can be comprised of those who are 50 to 59 years old – and so on. If the future is about our children and grandchildren, then we of the older generations may choose to die for them.

When millions of people are slaughtered, the rest of the world will react. History has repeatedly affirmed this. If we want the rest of the world, including many among the Chinese people, to react against the aggression of the Chinese leadership against Filipinos, we must give them basis to do so. The power of the rest of the world, plus a brave Filipino people, will be greater than China’s. But first, we must conquer our fear of death.

All mine to give: property rights

Amelia HC Ylagan

Last week, Acting Chief Justice Antonio T. Carpio reiterated with even more indignant passion that the Philippine government should not give up rights in the West Philippine Sea as defined by the July 2016 ruling of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidating China’s “historical” claims over resources in its so-called “nine-dash line” that encroached on the Philippine waters (GMA News May 25, 2018). He warned that non-action by the Philippine government against China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea could be seen as the country giving up its rights. “Inaction is a waiver.” he said (Ibid.).

President Rodrigo Duterte, in pursuing friendlier relations with Beijing, has temporarily set aside the ruling to avoid confrontation with the Asian power (Ibid.). “Duterte earlier stressed the need to “remain meek and humble” to receive the “mercy” of the likes of Chinese President Xi Jinping. He also said Xi vowed to protect him from any plan to remove him from office,” Rappler said. (rappler.com May 25, 2018). Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano announced that “it is no longer the Philippines’ strategy to always file diplomatic protests against China, as the DFA did under (his predecessor) Albert Del Rosario” (Ibid.).

No diplomatic protest when Chinese bombers recently landed on the South China Sea’s Paracel Islands (claimed by Vietnam) even when nearly all of the Philippines “falls within the radius of the bombers,” said the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (Ibid.). What’s new? China has constructed more than 1,600 structures in the disputed South China Sea, and nearly half (800 of these) are in waters belonging to the Philippines (Reuters May 24, 2018).

Subi, Mischief (within Philippine EEZ) and Fiery Cross reefs all have Chinese military infrastructure built between 2014 to 2017 — including emplacements for missiles, 3-km runways, extensive storage facilities, and a range of installations that can track satellites, foreign military activity and communications. The facilities each hold a regiment — between 1,500 to 2,400 troops, the wire agency reported (Ibid.).

“Stop calling it the ‘disputed’ West Philippine Sea,” Justice Carpio insists — the “dispute” has been settled (Rappler, March 5, 2018). “It’s like you have a land, you own it, somebody builds a house there and claims that he owns it also. So you go to court and finally the court says you own the land. Unfortunately the guy who built the house doesn’t want to leave. So the question of ownership is finished; it’s terminated already. You own it, because the court said you own it. It’s now a question of compliance — how to get him out of that lot. That is the situation in the West Philippine Sea,” Justice Carpio said (Ibid.).

But perhaps Justice Carpio is steeped too much in the rule of law to consider that a strong-man leader can be so sure, in his fashion, that his country is his to give away.

In early March President Duterte said joint exploration with China may be likened to co-ownership of the “disputed area.”

Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, echoed Justice Carpio’s opinion, saying that “In so far as territory is concerned, in so far as the exclusive economic zone and our natural resources are concerned, the constitution mandates that the benefits of our marine resources, our marine wealth up to the exclusive economic zone is reserved exclusively for Filipinos…The state cannot just share them, cannot admit any kind of co-ownership arrangement or anything similar to that for these resources” (ABS-CBN News March 2, 2018).

Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay said Duterte’s statement may be considered an impeachable offense.

“A clear example of culpable violation of the Constitution [and] betrayal of public trust. The West Phil[ippine] Sea is exclusively ours. He’s giving it away,” Hilbay said (Ibid.). Hilbay and Justice Carpio were part of the delegation that brought China before an international tribunal to assert the Philippine’s claims in the West Philippine Sea (Ibid.).

And just as reports of Chinese long-range H-6K bombers landing for the first time and conducting exercises on Woody Island rattled his people but did not shake him, President Duterte’s strong persona weighed on a similar but “simple” case of how he protects property rights in his country.

Upon orders of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 7 dated Sept. 16, 2010, the 300 families who illegally lived on a lot on Legaspi St. corner Real St. in Intramuros were given final notice to self-demolish, and the private property returned to owner LG Mathieson Development. Enter Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, former (ousted) President, populist “bad boy” leader closely aligned with Duterte: “Don’t worry, even if the court threatened me with contempt by its owner, I will not let your shanties demolished until we find a suitable resettlement for you,” Estrada said to the squatters (Manila Standard May 24, 2018). The mayor cited President Duterte’s instruction to all concerned government agencies: “No relocation, no demolition” (Ibid.).

Mayor Estrada said the Intramuros Administration has a budget of more than P410 million for the resettlement program of informal settlers living inside the historical site (Ibid.). Then why aren’t they moving on the generously promised relocation? Because there is no place to send the informal settlers to! Estrada said reclaiming 148 hectares from Manila Bay will surely expand Manila’s present land area of 42.88 square kilometers, where virtually every square inch is already occupied, mostly by informal settlers.

But is not the reclamation of Manila Bay earmarked for humongous recreation/gaming centers — one is four times the size of the Makati central business district, according to columnist Vic Agustin.

Chinese investors have reportedly met with President Duterte for operating these, and even the dredging and land-filling works are by China Harbor Engineering co., the same one that did the reclamation of 214 hectares off Davao (Ibid.)

Colliers International, a real estate company active in the Philippine property market, noted that property sales to Chinese nationals have risen in 2017 and continuing through this year, due to the influx of Philippine Online Gaming Operators (POGO) which sustained the office market and consequently impacted residential sales as POGOs often supply housing for their staff (Colliers Quarterly Q1 2018 10 May 2018). Foreigners are allowed to own condominium units in the Philippines, under certain limitations of the Constitution.

And his people’s minds loop back to the unfathomable question of why he seems so set on giving to China what his people already own by the painstaking efforts within the law, of the truly patriotic men and women of past political administrations. It is a greedy usurpation of the people’s basic right to property, along with the right to life and liberty, in the Constitutional Bill of Rights.

*

[emphasis mine]

the china challenge

How China’s military play in disputed waters could torpedo Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign policy shift  Richard Heydarian writes that the fate of the Philippine president’s post-America foreign policy likely is to be decided by what happens in the contested South China Sea

On SCS: Let us help our President  Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs (2011-2016) Albert del Rosario humbly suggests that we all ask him to be more proactive and assertive in defending our territory

West Philippine Sea / Part 2 – Search for Options Centrist Democrat Lito Monico Lorenzana endorses the five-point approach of Associate Justice Antonio Carpio  

1. “File a strong formal protest against China’s building activity. This is the least that the President can do. This is what the Vietnamese did recently when China sent cruise tours to the disputed Paracels.

2. “Send the Philippine Navy to patrol Scarborough Shoal. If the Chinese attack Philippine navy vessels, then the President can invoke the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty, which covers any armed attack on Philippine navy vessels operating in the South China Sea.

3. “Ask the United States to declare that Scarborough Shoal is part of Philippine territory for purposes of the Mutual Defense Treaty since the shoal has been part of Philippine territory even during the American colonial period. The US has declared the Senkakus as part of Japanese territory for purposes of the US-Japan mutual defense treaty.

4. “Accept the standing US offer to hold joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, which includes Scarborough Shoal. This will demonstrate joint Philippine and US determination to prevent China from building on Scarborough Shoal.

5. “Avoid any act, statement or declaration that expressly or impliedly waives Philippine sovereignty to any Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea. This will preserve for future generations of Filipinos their national patrimony in the West Philippine Sea.” [Rappler, March 20 ,2017]

The first point could be tweaked, like what Vietnam did, to signal the Chinese that we are opting “…for a policy of cooperation… we all look forward to a ‘Code of Conduct’ to guide the various nations on the South China Sea (SCS). Vietnam’s statement was made in the form of a request to China, appealing to its sense of responsibility as a large country. It was just an expression of concern over militarization activities which are supposed to be avoided in the proposed Code of Conduct.”

“Sometime ago President Duterte said that before his term ends in 2022 – four years from now – he will have to assert the Philippine victory in the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague in 2016”. [Manila Bulletin, May 16, 2018]

But why wait four years? This is simply passing the ball to the next administration and postpone the pain and responsibility. Some quarters, even among the ranks of Duterte allies, see this as downplaying our victory in exchange for economic benefits from China. Laying aside our sovereignty may not exactly be rape. But for lucre, we might as well call it for what it is. An apt word perhaps would be prostitution.

Perfect storm in wild, wild Philippines

Tony La Viña

For our sake, we better understand what is happening and act collectively to avert the worst outcome.

First, there was the filing last Friday of the impeachment complaint against President Duterte by Representative Gary Alejano of the Magdalo party list. The timing was perfect, with Congress having just adjourned, surprising the Duterte administration and its supporters.

Read on…