So near yet so far

THE song “So near yet so far” made popular by a 1941 movie, suddenly rings a bell to the elderly fishermen in Infanta town who look in the direction of the Scarborough Shoal with moist eyes.

Before President Duterte left for China for his historic trip, our fishermen who until 2012 relied on fishing around the Scarborough Shoal, had hoped that the president will return with that pasalubong – that they can finally fish without being threatened by the Chinese Coast Guard or being shot with water cannons. But Mr. Duterte came home empty handed except for a brief assurance that it will happen soon. This greatly disappointed our hungry and desperate fishermen.

Of course, they don’t realize the contentious issue that bugs their livelihood. There are the nationalists and militants that want the Duterte government to assert the ruling of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), that the Philippines has legal right to access the dispute islands at the West Philippine Sea (or South China Sea to the Chinese government).  To do it, however, the Duterte government realizes that taking a hard position will only derail the talks on the access of our fishermen to the Scarborough Shoal.

In this case, the Duterte government must be allowed enough room to effectively reach an agreement for the restoration of the livelihood of our fishermen, after all, Mr. Duterte already gave the assurance that his government will never give up ownership and legal access to the Scarborough Shoal.

Meanwhile, our fishermen can only look longingly at the Scarborough Shoal from afar until an understanding is reached how the agreement should be worded.

So near yet so far.

Duterte a patriot

WHAT’S wrong with President Duterte’s move to send Americans troops home?  We must even support it with all our mind, heart and soul.  The true test of any sovereign nation is to see it freed from the clutches of a foreign power.  The presence here of American military personnel doing joint exercises with our own soldiers is a naked proof of our subservience to the Americans.  It is ironic that after our senators had thrown out all vestiges of American presence in 1992, we still have them as teachers and lead forces in so-called joint military exercises on our shores.  That is a travesty of truth.  By allowing the Yanks to be our “superiors” in these drills, we are surrendering our freedom and democratic rights to a foreign power.

Mr. Duterte must be praised to high heavens for having seen this malady this early in his reign. Patriotism at its best.

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