EDITORIAL - An act worthy of punishment

Philippine authorities should seriously go after those student activists who defaced the United States Embassy entrance the other day. They should see to it that the protesters who perpetrated such distasteful act must face the law.

We live in a democratic society that provides anyone the right to launch any form of protests as long as they do not pose a threat to civilian lives and damage properties. However, the protest at the US Embassy to demand the pullout of American troops launching the annual war exercises with their Filipino counterparts had clearly gone overboard.  

The left-wing protesters managed their way into the entrance and splattered paint on the seal of the embassy. Aside from burning the American flag, they chipped away letters from the bronze signage.

Never mind the flag burning because that is usually part of the ritual in every protest against a certain nation. But to break into one’s territory, to wreak havoc is clearly a criminal offense. Such act was clearly beyond the boundary of what is permitted in a lawful protest and should merit punishment.

There’s really no problem if these so-called militants regard the military exercises as another form of US meddling in the country. Since they are already used to repudiate everything American, there’s really nothing new with their protest except for that seemingly barbaric act.      

The joint war games were aimed at boosting the capability of the Philippine Armed Forces. But since they involved American soldiers, not Australian or Malaysian military personnel, the militants quickly resisted, branding the US military presence as another form of American aggression.      

But there’s a far serious development that these activists should train their guns on. They should make a mad rush to the Spratlys so they can see for themselves the desecration of the country’s territorial waters by the Chinese.

The Chinese have been intruding on the Philippine-claimed territory for decades. But why those militants chose to remain silent? The answer is simple: because they and the Chinese share the same ideology.