MANILA, Philippines — Chinese officials pushing for Beijing's claims on the West Philippine Sea believe the Philippines is still a "factotum" of the United States.
This is what lawyer Harry Roque, among the petitioners questioning the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), noted before the Supreme Court during the oral arguments on Tuesday.
Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio quizzed Roque on what he would advise President Benigno Aquino III if China attacks a Philippine-claimed territory, giving him four options:
"You are now the adviser of the President, what would you advise him?" Carpio asked Roque.
1. To increase our defense spending from 1 percent to 3 percent of GDP, which is ASEAN average. We have the weakest Navy, practically non-existent.
2. Enter into alliances with Japan and India just like what Vietnam did, or Australia.
3. Strengthen our relationship with our sole treaty partner, the US.
4. Sue China before the [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] or before any other [international] body.
Roque responded, saying he would choose all options, "except strengthening our partnership with the United States."
"From my personal experience, in all instances where I've had occasion to dialogue with Chinese officials, they have never looked at the Philippines as an independent republic with its own national interest to promote," Roque, an international law expert, said.
"We are considered as factotum of the United States," he added.
He said it is "crucial" for Manila to convince Beijing that it is independent from Washington, its former colonizer, if it wants the maritime disputes to be peacefully resolved.
Roque said the Philippines will be better off forging alliances with its neighbors in the region as they have common interests.
"They perceive China as a regional threat ... [It is] more beneficial to have a closer alliance with those that are proximate to us and who have the same perception [of China]," he said.
"We have our national interests, we're safeguarding our territory because that is our national territory and not because we are mere lackeys of our former colonial master," Roque added.
He noted that the Philippines can no longer be considered a "poor" country as it has been able to appropriate billions for the modernization of armed forces, especially the Navy.
Carpio, however, did not seem to be convinced with Roque's argument and said China is also asserting sovereignty over Vietnam-claimed areas and has evicted Vietnamese control over maritime features.
"For China it doesn't matter, because China says, I own that territory, I own these waters, whether you're allied to the US, USSR or any other country, we don't care because we have the might now, we will take over that area," Carpio, himself an expert in maritime law, said.