No end in sight to war of words

From the Manila Bulletin (Feb 8): No end in sight to war of words

There seems to be no end in sight to the war of words between Manila and Beijing over the unresolved dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

President Benigno S. Aquino III hit back at the Chinese state media for resorting to vicious name-calling instead of addressing the maritime conflict.

Instead of getting offended, the President said he is actually thankful for the “insults” hurled by Xinhua news agency.

It only bolstered the country’s position in the territorial row with China, Aquino said.

“Nagpapasalamat na lang ako sa Xinhua dahil ang sabi nga parang nire-reaffirm iyong validity nung ating mga posisyon [I thank Xinhua because it reaffirmed the validity of our position],” the President said in a media interview after the change of command ceremony at the Philippine Army.

“May kasabihan na kapag hindi mo kayang sagutin iyong isyu e mag-name calling ka na lang [There is a saying that if you can’t answer the issue, you resort to name-calling],” he added.

The President’s reaction came as proposals seeking the revival of mandatory military training for college students started to gain strong backing among members of the House of Representatives majority bloc as solons have become wary of China’s bullying over the West Philippine sea territorial row.

Congressmen urged government to restore the Reserve Officers Training Corps in the college curriculum as they stressed a necessity of instilling patriotic and nationalistic fervor among the country’s youth.

In a press forum in Quezon City, Reps. Roy Seneres (OFW Family Partylist) and Rodel Batocabe (Ako Bicol Partylist) urged the Department of Education and the Department of National Defense to conduct studies on how to reform the mandatory military program for college students.

Previous to this, Reps. Mark Llandro Mendoza (NPC, Batangas), Amado Bagatsing (LP, Manila); Jose Cari (LP, Leyte), and Winston Castelo (LP, Quezon City) strongly backed the call for the inclusion of ROTC in the college curriculum.

“Love of country and national security are strong arguments that should convince government to revive it,” said Mendoza.

Seneres said Filipinos should stand up to China’s bullying tactics even as he stressed that diplomacy remains the key solution to the South China sea issue.

Seneres, a former ambassador and labor attaché, also proposed that government must extend invitation for its allies to set up military bases in the Philippines as part of a “military tourism program.”

Seneres and Batocabe lauded President Aquino for comparing China’s threats to the German despot Adolf Hitler’s bid to dominate Europe during World War II.

In related developments:

• In Washington, incoming US ambassador Max Baucus pledged Thursday to build trust with China as fellow senators confirmed him to the post at a time of high tensions in Asia.

The Senate approved Baucus in a rare unanimous show of support for one of President Barack Obama’s high-profile nominees, although four senators including Baucus himself did not vote.

• In Hong Kong, the administrative government has more room to increase sanctions against the Philippines if it fails to heed the diplomatic restrictions that began yesterday, Executive Council member Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee says.

Ip, also the former security secretary, said the Philippines is concerned that the sanctions will be extended to other travelers such as businessmen and entertainers, and to visas other than those of domestic helpers.

The 14-day visa free arrangement for Philippine officials and diplomats was suspended yesterday as the first phase of sanctions over the Philippine government’s refusal to apologize for the 2010 Manila hostage tragedy in which eight Hongkongers were killed by an ex-policeman.

Ip stopped short of saying if the next phase of sanctions would include other travelers.

http://www.mb.com.ph/no-end-in-sight-to-war-of-words/