MILF: Editorial -- China-Philippines Sea Dispute

Editorial posted to the MILF Website (Nov 1): Editorial -- China-Philippines Sea Dispute

The Philippines may have secured the first victory over China in their dispute involving parts of the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, after the International Arbitral Tribunal unanimously decided that it has jurisdiction over it. But the problem is far from over. China has already said it will not recognize the ruling of the panel.

 In terms of legitimacy and recognition, the Philippines has already secured that with the decision. This will bolster the strong build-up of the case against China. However, in the long haul, the decision might trigger even a bigger problem. Given its huge population (goodbye to one child policy; a couple is now allowed to bear two children), unprecedented economic boom, and expanding military power, China has nowhere to go except to move beyond its borders. It cannot anymore content itself to the status of what had been for decades. The so-called sleeping giant has now awakened and its metabolism is fully functional to make it alive. Thus, it has to build advance military posts thousands of miles away from the Mainland in order to stave off  perceived or real threats from outside.   

 Of course, we do not expect a shooting war between China and the Philippines. The Philippines is not in a position to confront China militarily. Besides, the Philippines renounces war as a foreign policy.  An "ant" (the Philippines) cannot fight an "elephant" (China) militarily, but certainly we can fight them, tooth and nail, in terms of defending our rights and integrity. Thus, everyone should stand solidly behind President Benigno Aquino III's stance on the problem.

Moreover, there are other global interests, say security, commerce, and navigation, which are deeply embedded in the issue. We don't think  this  collective or shared global stakes can be decided by one country.  The proper arena would be the United Nations where every state is a member. Except for the role of the Hague Tribunal, which by its ruling acquired jurisdiction over the case, the involvement of the UN seems not forthcoming; and even if it has, China has a veto power.
In view of this development, the resolution of the armed conflict in Mindanao warrants  more urgency. The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) should be passed now. If the dispute worsens, possible complications can be felt in Mindanao.  One indisputable drawback is the lack of solid front to be put up by the government. It is natural that those still considering the  government as their "enemy" will have hard time fully supporting the government. The other possible fallout is the fact that there are Filipino citizens of still pure Chinese blood, whose sense of belonging will naturally be put to ultimate test in such an eventuality.  We are not saying they will not side with the Philippines, but what we imagine is the difficult mental process involved in making the decision. There are other complications, which will naturally surface during uncertain times. Not a few are happy during critical moments.

It is not good to wait for the complications to surface before the prevention is put in place. Those spoiling the process and filibustering the deliberation of the proposed law in both Houses of Congress should be handled. They are not doing any good to this country.  They are not rational anymore; they allowed themselves to be prisoners of their own hatred, fears, prejudices against the Moros. If they are allowed to proceed, they will ruin this country and forced the Moros to go berserk out of frustration. When a people is deprived of human dignity, of fair deal and accommodation, and are persecuted and oppressed, they will resort to extreme measures, either as a weapon of survival or as means of revenge.

The BBL is not prescription for the dismemberment of this country, as the opponents of BBL made people to believe.  Rather, the BBL is a menu for the unity and solidarity of this country.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/editorial/item/647-china-philippines-sea-dispute