OpinionsEcon 101‘Security threat’

‘Security threat’

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We’re just asking how a 78-year old former anti-corruption Ombudswoman be a security threat to China?” This question was asked by Atty. Anne Corominas when former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio- Morales was denied entry into Hongkong.

It can be recalled that Morales — along with former Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert del Rosario and on behalf of Filipino fishers who were “persecuted and injured” by China’s aggressive island-building and occupation in the West Philippine Sea — filed a complaint before the International Criminal Court against Chinese President Xi Jinping for “atrocious actions of Chinese officials in the South China Sea and within Philippine territory”.

In his most provocative statement yet, Philippine President Duterte urged China to stay away from a Philippine-controlled island in the South China Sea: “I am asking you, I will not plead or beg, but I’m just telling you, lay off the Pag-asa because I have soldiers there. And if you lay a finger on them, it’s another story. I will tell my soldiers, prepare for a suicide mission.”

Known for his pro-China overtures, Duterte’s warning came as quite a shock.

Since assuming power in 2016, Duterte launched a radical shift in the Philippines’ South China Sea policy – downplaying a favorable 2016 arbitration ruling, threatening to scrap joint maritime patrols with the United States, and pursuing joint oil and gas exploration – that saw Manila cozying up with Beijing, amid overlapping territorial claims.

Acting out of sheer pragmatism, Duterte aimed to strike a compromise with Beijing rather than embroil the Philippines in a war against China, which it cannot win.

Yet, China might have crossed the line.

Following the report from the Philippine Western Command on the sustained presence of 275 Chinese maritime militia vessels since January, Duterte warned: “Let us be friends, but do not touch Pag-asa Island, otherwise, things would be different,” he said.

In a recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Station, 44 percent of Filipinos, a sizable plurality, doubt the good intentions of China to the Philippines.

Based on a previous poll published in November 2018, 87 percent of Filipinos stressed that the government must regain control over the shoals and islands it rightfully claims in the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea.

In the same poll, 86 percent of respondents urged the government to strengthen the Philippine Navy’s capability to deter Chinese intrusion over the West Philippine Sea, while 71 percent urged the Duterte government to bring the issue to multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Yet, the Duterte government continues to adopt a zero-sum game attitude, branding the Philippines as ill-equipped to wage war against China, despite having pragmatic policy options to assert its right in the contested waters.

Now, who is the “security threat”?

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Author’s email: [email protected]

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