By Farah G. Decano

 

I saw the video of First Lady Liza Marcos drinking wine from the glass of Senator Chiz Escudero after she marched with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. into one of the halls in Malacañang.  She appeared exhausted and thirsty which prompted her to playfully get the drink from the Senator’s grip.

With more pressing issues that beset our country such as the need to assert our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, I’d take the First Lady’s unrefined behaviour anytime rather than see the present efforts of the Philippines against Chinese incursions abandoned.  President Marcos should not lose his people’s support in his defense of Philippine sovereignty just because of some faux pas committed by his wife. No clumsy behaviour from the members of the First Family should distract us from showing a united front against the Chinese.

So far, the strategy of the Philippines is working. China blinks on its threat to capture Filipinos sailing on the disputed West Philippine Sea area by June 15.  What the Chinese guards merely did were “harmless” acts such as riding on Philippine vessels, threatening the Filipinos with axes and blades, jettisoning some backpacks, and then puncturing some of the rubber boats.

These acts were condemned and belittled by the Philippine Coast Guard chief as mere “acts of piracy.”  To say that China performed acts of piracy in WPS is a strong condemnation. There is nothing honorable about pirates. But really, what is new?  The Asian Giant is famous for other acts of piracy, too.  Browse the Lazada app and try to find out where Class A, B, and C imitations of known brands come from.

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Before we file the case against China with the Permanent Arbitral Tribunal, the international community did not see our country credible about our assertions in the West Philippine Sea.  To them, China, as one of the oldest civilizations, most likely has better claims than we do.  Our legal triumph against China in 2016 gave us credence.   

After the Philippines’ victory in the Permanent Arbitral Tribunal, the world was not keen on supporting our court-declared entitlements because then President Rodrigo Duterte started playing footsies with China.  Our country seemed to be uninterested in following up our legal triumph with aggressive stance against the dragon country.  Instead, the Duterte government rolled the red carpet for the Chinese citizens flooding our country as Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers or as tourists.  Our airport’s immigration area, including the embarkation and disembarkation cards, were suddenly filled with Chinese translations of our welcome.  Some local government tourists’ centers even had a desk for exclusively for Chinese tourists. What special treatment!   

With President Marcos Jr reversing former President Duterte’s foreign policy regarding the WPS, we witnessed many countries started to warm up to the Philippines. Through international media, many countries express their dismay over China’s use of water cannons on Philippines vessels which were merely on a resupply mission in the disputed area.  Secretary Teodoro also lost no time in seeking alliances with other countries. Just two weeks ago, the powerful G7 countries manifested their support to the Philippines. 

The Philippines so far has been successful in unmasking the Asian Giant as nothing but a rich big bully. As one of the most unpopular countries in the world, China has no one else to blame for the loss of its Mianzi in the international arena but its own arrogance.  Nakalimutan na nakakapuwing ang mga maliliit.    

I am not saying that we have finally put the controversy behind us.  What I am saying is – after scoring our first victory at the Permanent Arbitral Tribunal, we are already close to winning our second triumph over China.  World opinion is tilting on the Philippine side.

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