Time to walk the talk

“What belongs to the Philippines belongs to the Philippines. And we can defend ourselves whenever someone tries to bully us within our own backyard.” That was President Aquino talking, using the strongest language yet to address tensions in the neighborhood.

There is no doubt every true-bloodied and able-bodied Filipino will rise to the call of the president to defend the motherland. Our only wish is that the president will not lead us all to slaughter in defense of our beloved Philippines armed only with slingshots.

As far as the willingness to defend our country is concerned, there should be little room for hesitation in that. It is in the ability to defend our country with a little credibility that necessitates some prior discussion before we commit ourselves.

Sure we can face all the bullies in the neighborhood with slingshots. But little good will that do. Token resistance can only hasten subjugation and dead heroes mean nothing to a country on its knees.

Someone should tell President Aquino that while Filipinos will follow him like the Pied Piper once he issues the call to defend our country, at the very least he should provide them with the opportunity to fight with dignity.

We cannot fend off the bullies by tough talk and sheer bravado. We need to have something to shoot back other than just slingshots. Therefore, if he is truly serious in preparing us to shore up our increasingly precarious position, he should start walking the talk.

If the country's defense is what preoccupies the mind of President Aquino now, then he better sweep aside the useless politicking that is at the very root of why the Philippines is in fact the doormat of the neighborhood.

For it is plain and simple ridiculous that just days after we had an election, every politician is already talking about the next. That is precisely why everybody else in the neighborhood is blindsiding us. Because we are not paying attention to what is going on.

If we truly want to gain the respect of the neighborhood, or if the neighbors cannot do that, then at least buy ourselves some hesitation on their part, then we have to learn the only language they understand, which is the language of brute force.

Diplomacy and the rule of law will always have a nice ring to it, but try whistling that tune to those who hold the big stick. Look, if America, which holds the biggest stick in the world, is even forced to hesitate by her enemies, try imagining us and our bare hands.

It is time the Philippines acquires a truly decent military. We do not need a military that is intended to rule the world. All we need is enough firepower to act as a deterrent. All we need is a military that will make the bullies think twice before pushing us again.

The thought of losing a few teeth is sometimes more powerful in convincing a bully not to make a mistake than actually finding out if the mistake is something he can live with. Sometimes, a military that is for show is more powerful than a military that is actually caught in combat.

But in acquiring a credible military, let us not fool ourselves with resurrected United States Coast Guard cutters that we misleadingly call warships. If we are so enamored with warships, why don't we get ourselves one Cruise-missile-firing Ticonderoga-class cruiser.

Yes, we will have to pay through our noses for that, but if we are throwing away billions in cash doleouts to the poor and billions more in useless politicking, don't you think it is a far more worthy investment to spend some of those billions in realistic defense of ourselves?

And while we are in the process of arming ourselves, let us acquire a dozen fighter jets that will make the bullies think first lest they force us to go berserk at great cost to their own selves. Enough of the tough talk. Let us walk the talk.