It never ends

There is a video of a Chinese helicopter flying dangerously close to a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) last Tuesday. A diplomatic protest regarding this latest aggressive move by the Chinese has been filed. You could see how close the Chinese helicopter was to the Philippine aircraft’s wingtip. If both aircraft came in contact even in the slightest, it would have caused either one to lose control momentarily or even cause a crash.

This is the latest intimidation tactic done by the Chinese. It never ends. Whether it is the use of water cannons, lasers pointed at our ships, and now dangerous aerial maneuvers. The Chinese are probing our breaking point where we initiate a dangerous response tantamount to firing the first shot. That would make us the aggressor and China the victim. The Chinese are just aching for that to happen.

But when will China’s actions against not just government aircraft or vessels but against our fishermen stop? The numerous diplomatic protests filed by past and present administrations are simply ignored if not laughed at by Beijing. The situation was not helped by Duterte’s shift away from the US and into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arms.

The current administration of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. has reversed that shift. There are plans for Marcos to meet US President Trump as soon as possible to talk security and strengthen economic ties. It remains to be seen how this meeting turns out. Trump is facing a lot of backlash and pushback for his draconian actions with the help of the richest person on the planet, Elon Musk. Trump’s latest pronouncements against Ukrainian President Zelensky calling him a dictator and blaming him for starting the war showed his affinity to Russia and Vladimir Putin. Ridiculous.

The Philippines does not have an answer to China’s continued harassment and aggression in the West Philippine Sea other than toothless diplomatic protests. And yes, there is such a thing as the West Philippine Sea, contrary to what anyone would say otherwise. If Trump would honor the Mutual Defense Treaty along with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, we should be secure. But we just have to bite our tongues and grind our teeth as China continues to whittle away our patience. We already have someone who has been physically hurt by their aggression. I wonder if we threaten the Chinese Coast Guard with itaks and palakols of our own?