Pointing fingers

The Philippines would never sacrifice the lives of Filipino soldiers in the name of Sino-Philippine relations. Not on his watch. In essence, this was former president Rodrigo Duterte’s friendly warning to China’s ambassador after a water cannon incident occurred in the disputed Ayungin Shoal during the latter part of his term. He delivered on this promise until his last day in Malacañang Palace.

I was present at Mayor Digong’s meeting with the Chinese diplomat. He was incensed after a Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons at two Filipino vessels on a resupply mission to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre. I remember FPRRD saying that the bilateral friendship would be doomed once a Filipino soldier perishes in China’s military operations in the West Philippine Sea.

Since 1999, or during the administration of former president Joseph Estrada, the dilapidated Navy warship has served as a military outpost and symbol of our sovereign rights over Ayungin. While it is part of our Exclusive Economic Zone, we do not have sovereignty or a sovereign title over the shoal. It is not part of the Philippine territorial sea, which extends to a limit of 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal state like ours (Article 3, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas or UNCLOS). We can only exercise our economic rights to exploit, explore and manage living and non-living natural resources and even establish artificial islands in the maritime zone (Article 56).

Duterte again raised the water cannon incident in a 2021 special summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China. He said the WPS dispute should be resolved, not by military force, but in accordance with the UNCLOS and 2016 Arbitral Award (PNA).

I am dismayed, therefore, that an ex-senator practically accused Duterte of treason. Mr. Sonny Trillanes imputed that FPRRD was the Filipino leader who made a vow to China to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal. It is pure hogwash.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, a top government official made this commitment in the distant past. The camps of former presidents Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have denied making any deal or promise with China. President Bongbong Marcos said no such bilateral agreement exists.

Should FPRRD dignify the accusation of the former solon? I do not think he should stoop down to his level. First, Duterte is and will always be pro-Filipino. His ‘friend to all, enemy to none’ foreign policy was primarily anchored on national prosperity, stability and security. I share his stand that our participation in any conflict would reverse our socio-economic and political gains in recent years. Second, he was still city mayor of Davao when the old navy warship ran aground into the shoal. As the foreign policy architect, only a sitting president has the power to enter into a bilateral agreement with China. Third, while the Philippines-China relations flourished during his presidency, FPRRD did not shy away from calling China to task for its illegal activities in the WPS. Proof of this is the 260 diplomatic protests that his administration filed against China between 2016 and 2021.

I would like to remind Trillanes of the old saying, whenever you point the finger at any person, three fingers point right back at you. We did not lose a single island during the Duterte administration. However, we lost the Panatag Shoal in 2012, when the Aquino administration appointed Trillanes as a backchannel negotiator to China. Citing documents from a former Philippine ambassador, then Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile accused Trillanes of working for China over the Panatag issue (Inquirer). Even former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario said his backchanneling did more harm than good. It is high time for Trillanes to man up and explain to the public why China was able to take Panatag away from us.

It is unfortunate that, lately, any anti-war proponent has been automatically labeled a traitor. Anyone who strongly advocates for conflict de-escalation in the WPS has been branded pro-China. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We could only continue progressing as a nation-state and a sovereign people under a regime of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Rolling heads

When an airport glitch paralyzed the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on New Year’s Day, it portended things to come in the transport sector. Our airspace was again disrupted in May when a power outage hit NAIA’s Terminal 3. Since January, several vessels have sunk across the archipelago, including an overloaded motor boat that capsized in Binangonan, Rizal and claimed 27 lives last July. Meanwhile, various stakeholders have opposed the Philippine Ports Authority’s proposed Trusted Operator Program-Container Registry and Monitoring System. They said the monitoring system will increase the annual cost of importation by 50 percent.

Recently, Senator Grace Poe called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to release the P3- billion ayuda or fuel subsidy for the public transportation sector. It is already August. The operators and drivers have yet to receive a single cent from DOTr.

As a result, at least seven transport groups have petitioned the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for a jeepney fare hike from P2 to P5. They said they can no longer grapple with the weekly price surge in petroleum products, particularly diesel. Some cooperatives have become insolvent/bankrupt after investing in e-jeeps. Bus owners that invested in top-of-the-line units such as Volvo and Mercedes Benz continue to incur losses. They still ply on shortened routes. They operate on special permits instead of the costly franchise they acquired before the Covid-19 pandemic. Only nine percent of the local government units have approved the Route Rationalization Plan as of March (RMN News). Last month, the government declared that the pandemic is over. And yet, the route plan has to be fully implemented.

The Department of Budget and Management said the DOTr has failed to submit the required Joint Memorandum Circular for fiscal year 2023. Of course, the government cannot disburse funds without proper documentation.

The problem obviously lies with the ineptitude and insensitivity of some of our transport officials to the plight of operators, drivers, commuters and other stakeholders. I appeal to PBBM to remove and replace the incompetent DOTr officials and personnel. Heads must roll in the department.