LSS on WPS

We welcomed to The Philippine STAR office Ambassador Jing Quan and a few staff members of the embassy of China in Manila in a courtesy call to our big boss Miguel G. Belmonte. The new Chinese ambassador is undertaking a round of tours of Philippine media entities.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM) accepted Amb. Jing’s credentials on Dec. 11 last year. The Ambassador was accompanied by Counselor and spokesman Ji Lingpeng and Wei Guo, the deputy spokesman of the Chinese embassy. Yes, Wei is the one and the same Chinese embassy official who is in the middle of the stormy debate at the Senate last week.

“Gray, you’re now the most popular guy in town,” I teased Wei, whose English name is Gray.

Wei gave a timid smile as he joined us in a group photo. On the sidelines, I pressed Wei if he is willing to sit down in talks with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela: “Maybe not this time, Madam. We are busy promoting cooperation at the moment.” Wei had locked horns with Tarriela, who is the PCG official spokesman on West Philippine Sea (WPS) related issues.

During our conversation, Amb. Jing reiterated China is not and will not be a threat to the Philippines. He gingerly talked on incidents involving China Coast Guard vessels using water-cannons on Filipino fishermen and its counterpart ships of the PCG. At the moment, Amb. Jing revealed four modes that Philippines-China relations can be handled. One is “less fight, talk;” keep the status quo if a solution is not reached; or set aside differences and conduct joint projects such as rescues at seas and environmental protection. The rest of the discussions were off-the-record.

The courtesy call came a day after the latest heated debate erupted at the Senate floor on a draft resolution to declare Wei persona non grata. For issuing official statement of the embassy of China, the Senate draft resolution was taking to task Wei for hurling criticisms that were viewed as using very un-diplomatic language.

As a uniformed officer, Wei demanded from higher officials of the Philippine government to sanction Tarriela for alleged public defamation of President Xi Jinping of China. In particular, Wei scored Tarriela for presenting cartoon caricatures of President Xi before Filipino students at a school discussion about the disputed overlapping maritime claims of the Philippines and China over the South China Sea (SCS).

This escalated when Filipino lawmakers led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros entered into the Wei-Tarriela word war. The furor widened in scope when the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of the municipality of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) declared the ambassador of China as “persona non grata” in a resolution unanimously passed during its Jan. 27 session. As the lawmakers of local ordinances, the SB has jurisdiction over the KIG that includes Pag-asa as its biggest island in the WPS.

As the press counselor and spokesman, Ji took up the cudgels for his embattled deputy. Citing he was in Beijing on official leave while the heated exchanges were taking place, Ji explained that Wei, his deputy, was merely doing his job on his behalf as “acting” head of the embassy media staff.

Speaking in behalf of the embassy of China, Ji doubled down in saying there is no need for such Senate resolution against his deputy. In a lengthy official statement, Ji cited President Marcos himself can simply declare Ambassador Jing persona non grata. “As Ambassador, he bears responsibility for all words and actions of the Chinese embassy,” Ji pointed out. And that he and the rest of his 12-man Chinese embassy media affairs and public diplomacy team are ready to go back to Beijing.

While PBBM backs Philippine government officials defending our WPS claims, Malacañang press officer Claire Castro, however, disclosed the President replied with a terse “No” on the calls to expel the Chinese ambassador.

Being declared persona non grata – person not welcome – is an extreme diplomatic tool used to remove immunity and expel foreign diplomats immediately out of a country. As such, expelled diplomats are officially banned from entering or staying because they are unacceptable to the host country.

The numbers were already there, with 15 senators purportedly backing the measure. Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, author of Senate Resolution 256, presented it for approval in plenary. However, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano argued that the issue was too serious for a hasty, if not rushed, decision.

In support of Cayetano, fellow minority member Sen. Rodante Marcoleta sought to be shown a Philippine map. He dared his colleagues to point to coordinates of the country’s maritime and sovereign rights as spelled out in the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The debate went astray when the senators squared off with arguments outside the subject resolution. Instead of adopting the resolution in plenary, Cayetano proposed a committee hearing. But Cayetano’s motion was shot down by Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III before the floor debate turned even uglier.

A majority vote of a Senate resolution can express anger, but it cannot replace careful judgment. And it should be wisely remembered that in diplomacy, restraint is not weakness.

The Senate will decide today if they still need to approve it after PBBM already spoke on the issue as the country’s chief foreign policy architect.

The song “Stronger” popularized by American pop star Kelly Clarkson could be a very fitting message to all those concerned. It goes like this:

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger/Stand a little taller/Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone/
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter/Footsteps even lighter/Doesn’t mean I’m over ’cause you’re gone/What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger/Just me, myself and I.”

Levity aside, the continuous singing of this snippet of music would be a good “last song syndrome” or LSS. It is an exercise to cool down the heated WPS debate before it turns into senseless rage achieving nothing.