Real and diplomatic blood in our hands

The Philippine government may be facing its worst diplomatic catastrophe, if their “bet” goes wrong.

After a week of hush-hush, the public has started to hear of the recent deportation of 14 Taiwanese citizens who were “deported” or “extradited” by the Philippines to Mainland China and not Taiwan.

The 14 Taiwanese citizens were the subjects of an Interpol alert as well as having warrants for their arrest for being suspected as members of an international crime syndicate that targeted and preyed upon Chinese nationals.

As a country that practices the “One-China” policy but treats Taiwan like a sentimental mistress and economic sugar-mama, The Philippines through the NBI and the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation was forced to choose between two lovers.

Unfortunately, the scales on this case swung towards China for a number of reasons.

My personal concern on the matter rises from the eerie realization that the 14 Taiwanese criminals sent to China may end up as just compensation for the eight Chinese tourists who were held hostage and slaughtered by a rogue Manila policeman at Luneta.

In this gambit, Chinese citizens get a different form of justice through the Philippine government while China gets to thumb its nose on their “minor province”.

Officially, the NBI and the BID claim that the suspects failed to present their official travel documents and only had unverified photocopies. To top it all, I’ve been informed that a high ranking official of the Chinese embassy was literally on top of the entire affair and was clearly in-charge.

The lawyer for the Taiwanese, the Manila Economic & Cultural Office and the Taiwan Economic & Cultural Office all refute the NBI and BID allegations.

According to bits of information I received, the Taiwanese representative tried in vain to intercede on behalf of his compatriots but he was up against an overwhelming force determined to ship off the Taiwanese suspects.

On the surface, I personally hope that Secretary Romulo and Secretary de Lima can defend the government action in any venue whether it’s at the UN or Divisoria. Their defense and clear explanations will make the difference in saving our relations with Taiwan, saving jobs and protecting Philippine interests and security.

However, there is a window of dire possibility that I don’t mean to give life to, but rather, wish to point out to our government officials because this is the potential catastrophe I fear in the future.

Unlike the Philippines, China has a very efficient justice system. It took all of 3 to 6 months for Chinese officials to address the issue of certain businessmen using chemicals resulting to several deaths as well as a regional panic due to contaminated milk powder.

Within three months all the relevant information was gathered, the trial went into motion and the accused that were found guilty died and were buried all in six months. None of them resurrected from the grave after three days and no one walked around for 40 days. In China, the guilty stay dead.

I have no knowledge of what was the charge sheets or warrants of arrest except that the Taiwanese suspects were charged for swindling or scamming vulnerable Chinese citizens (probably even some government officials) amounting to millions.

 If I follow this line of possibilities, it is therefore probable that within three to six months, at least one or two out of the 14 will experience the ear-shattering explosion of a gun behind their head. In China they use real bullets, not needles.

If that happens, it would be safe to presume that Taiwan will be putting the blame on us. How will we deal with real and diplomatic blood on our hands?

If this happens, the Philippine government will quickly learn that borrowing from Lee to pay Tao does not apply to regional politics and diplomacy. In the case of real and diplomatic blood, there is no such thing as compensation, just more dead people, as the catastrophe grows bigger.

I humbly remind those in government what our elders always taught us: “Yung maliit ang nakaka-puwing”.

Yes, it is the small speck in regional politics that has caused serious discomfort. The Philippines continues to pay the price for our incursion into Sabah, Malaysia. We were the brown brother to the mighty US of A when they tried to beat Vietnam to a pulp, now Vietnam is huffing and puffing down in the Spratly Islands.

Taiwan may no longer have international clout as it once did, they may not be a serious military threat to the Philippines. But to marginalize their interests, considering their economic and financial resources, would be to tempt fate twice over.

Not only are they our regional neighbors, many of their citizens, businessmen as well as investments are already “in country”. Reminiscent of the “silent” Japanese invasion before World War II, the Philippines now plays hosts to two large populations; South Koreans and Taiwanese, the latter being deep into agriculture.

A lover scorned is one thing, but a nation that has lived under the gun for decades, does not dance on a bloody floor. I’ve been told that Filipinos who land on death row in Taiwan have a better chance of surviving because of our diplomatic “affair”.

But if Taiwanese heads roll in China, Filipinos heads will undoubtedly roll in death row in Taiwan, and so will political heads roll in Manila, but not before they get kicked around by jobless Filipinos, and angry Taiwanese investors.