By Farah G. Decano

 

ANCIENT history tells us that war was not China’s bag of chips. Its people were more known to us as traders. In fact, even before the rediscovery of the Philippines by Ferdinand Magellan, our ancestors had been doing business with them.  Unlike the people from the west whose goal was to conquer and annex new territories then, the Chinese simply came to the Philippines in peace for purposes of commerce.

China, however, has evolved into an economically powerful nation which does not hesitate to aggressively assert its claims.   In the past 75 years, this dragon state already had several armed encounters with countries like Tibet, Vietnam, and India. Tibet is now merely an autonomous region of China while India and Vietnam, allegedly, lost portions of their lands in favor of the Asian giant.

Must the Philippines bow its head in immediate surrender to China because of the latter’s unquestionable military might and track record?

In his Bagong Pilipinas Kick-off speech on January 28, 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared, “I will not squander the sovereign people’s trust by marching and grunting loudly but staying only in place when what they want is to surge and move forward.” 

The President is staying true to his promise insofar as protecting the sovereign and territorial rights of the Philippines against Chinese incursions.  He did not promise to jetski to the disputed area only to say it was a joke.  He was not content on the mere filing of diplomatic protests against the red country whenever violations are perceived to be committed by the latter.   Instead, he has been bringing the West Philippine Sea issue, tirelessly, to the world’s attention.  Recently at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, President Marcos Jr. publicly asseverated that the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1900 Treaty of Washington are among our evidence of territorial rights. In effect, we are telling the world that our claims have solid evidence.

In his earlier mentioned Bagong Pilipinas Kick-off discourse, the younger President Marcos also urged the Filipinos to “… dig deep into our valiant past, draw strength from the heroism of our forefathers, and let this heritage of selflessness propel us forward into the future.”  Taking cue from this January speech of the President, his alter-ego in the Department of National Defense, Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, maintained his position on the West Philippine Sea.  He did not take any insult or fake news sitting down.  He fearlessly exchanged diplomatic barbs with Chinese officials who dared to belittle our President because of his stand on the maritime dispute.

Secretary Gibo does not kowtow to the mighty China.  He is also not a passive and reactive Defense Secretary.  He has a strategy in mind.  He has been assiduously strengthening bilateral ties with nearby countries by emphasizing on our common interests in the West Philippine Sea – the need for peace, security, and freedom of navigation for a sustainable future.  A few days ago, Secretary Gibo already has made the rounds with his counterparts in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, and European Union.

I agree with our government’s strategy of removing the focus on the possible armed conflict in the country’s maritime area and, instead, redirecting the redress of our concerns to the court of public opinion while maintaining very strong alliances with other countries. Perhaps, the President and his Cabinet Secretary can study the suggestion of former Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio that the Philippines must file more cases against China.

To those who wish to cowardly surrender our rights to the Asian Giant even without a fight, please widen your imagination.  War is not the only way to win this battle for our sovereign rights.   Let us stand behind our President and his Defense Secretary on this issue.  The Filipino is not the enemy.

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