My Wise Or Otherwise column in the past featured the issues related to China’s aggression in the West Philippine Seas. I had always feared that a war is impending since China is flexing its military muscle.
Years back, former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said that should war break out in the WPS, we cannot invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty since America will never go to war with us against China. Even the late Sen. Miriam Santiago kidded that if China will surrender to us, we do not have enough food to feed them.
Recent interviews with former Defense and National Security adviser Norberto Gonzales affirms my fear of the impending war and probable areas we need to improve should it happen.
In various interviews with the good secretary in the past months, he has empathized the following:
Regaining respect from other countries should be our primary concern. We must have a president that walks the talk. In the case of PBBM, he has postured a stricter stance against China but has not enough resources to impose, if not gain, respect from China.
According to Gonzales, our relationship with China is complicated. It is one scenario of damn if you do and damn if you don’t. Kissing their ass may soften their balls, but for sure they will still ram down our throats their disappointments on the ICC ruling.
We are still far from building an army enough to fight the Chinese. We have stopped training our youth for citizen army like Singaporeans and Israelites. Discipline for the young generations has diminished, if not totally absent.
During war, the supply of food should be stable. The Philippines, considered as an agricultural country, has not enough food, such as rice, and is partially dependent on exports from Vietnam and Thailand.
Our foreign policy has never been independent and is totally dependent to other progressive countries like America and Japan, and even China, our impending enemy.
US inequitable financial aid for defense is not enough. Should there be enough of this, it would take decades, if not centuries for us to fully arm ourselves and defend our country independently.
My former classmate and good friend George Gareza once asked me if I could do a one-on-one interview with former secretary Norberto Gonzales. I told him that I would rather do some research and use it as a topic in one of my upcoming columns. As a columnist, I am more of an opinion writer and would want to stay that way. We leave the facts to the journalist and reporters, who report actual happening in the field.
As much as possible, I would like to do away with political issues but with the way China treats us, no Filipino should let it pass. We should voice our disgust and defy these actions in any way we can. If given the opportunity, I will shoot every PLA I will meet once they invade the country. These are extreme scenarios and mind you getting shot is not easy whether for self defense or accidental shooting. My friend George can tell you how his angelic face was ruined after a shot from a 12-gauge that hit him a few inches from the head.
With the upcoming elections, we should be wary of electing our new officials. People who don’t have the balls to stand against foreign oppressors do not deserve our vote nor our respect. I would like to see a candidate who will ride a jet-ski and wave bravely our Philippine flag in the WPS and not for the show. This candidate deserves to be voted but such a politician is rare. God bless the Philippines! ||
