By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS
IT can’t be said that President Aquino has not learned anything in the last five years of his presidency.
We would like to think that his not mentioning the issue with China over territorial claims in South China Sea in his 6th and last State of the Nation address is an indication that he has learned from his mistakes of making unnecessary insulting comments that do not help at all advance national interest.
Maybe his not feeling well last Monday did not give him the opportunity to adlib. Or he would have repeated his favorite historical story of Sudetenland and once again compared China to Nazi Germany. Just what he did in his interview with New York Times before and early this year in his press conference in Japan.
If he did that, the Philippine hosting of the 2015 Asia Pacific Economic Conference would have the distinction of being boycotted by the Chinese top leader.
Chinese President Xi Jiinping was reportedly offended by Aquino’s Sudeten remark in Japan which had the effect of comparing him to Hitler that he is considering not attenting the November APEC summit in Manila and send a lower- ranking official instead.
We imagine that the Chinese leadership noted his not having mentioned the conflict with China in his SONA. In 2013, when there was also no mention of Chiana in his SONA, the Chinese leadership sent their appreciation.
It was in his 2011 SONA that Aquino announced he was raising the ante in the territorial conflict with China bragging that the Philippines has the capability to repel China’s aggression.
“Speaking of security, does enhanced security not also enhance our national pride? There was a time when we couldn’t appropriately respond to threats in our own backyard. Now, our message to the world is clear: What is ours is ours; setting foot on Recto Bank is no different from setting foot on Recto Avenue,” he declared.
It was in that SONA that he announced his government’s plan to do the unprecedented move of hauling the superpower to an international tribunal:
“We do not wish to increase tensions with anyone, but we must let the world know that we are ready to protect what is ours. We are also studying the possibility of elevating the case on the West Philippine Sea to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, to make certain that all involved nations approach the dispute with calm and forbearance.”
It took two more years before Aquino put into action those words.
And it was because the Philippines had lost to China Scarborough Shoal also known as Panatag Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc, only 124 nautical miles from the shores of Zambales.
In his 2012 SONA, Aquino said, “The situation in Bajo de Masinloc has been the source of much discussion. Chinese fishermen entered our territory. Our patrol boats intercepted some of their ships, which contain endangered species. As your leader, it is my duty to uphold the laws of our country. And as I did, tension ensued: on one hand, the Chinese had their Nine-Dash Line Theory laying claim to almost the entire West Philippine Sea; on the other, there was the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea, which recognized the rights of many countries, including that of China itself.
“We demonstrated utmost forbearance in dealing with this issue. As a sign of our goodwill, we replaced our navy cutter with a civilian boat as soon as we could. We chose not to respond to their media’s harangues. I do not think it excessive to ask that our rights be respected, just as we respect their rights as a fellow nation in a world we need to share.
“There are those who say that we should let Bajo de Masinloc go; we should avoid the trouble. But if someone entered your yard and told you he owned it, would you agree? Would it be right to give away that which is rightfully ours?
“And so I ask for solidarity from our people regarding this issue. Let us speak with one voice. Help me relay to the other side the logic of our stand.
“This is not a simple situation, and there can be no simple solutions. Rest assured: We are consulting experts, every leader of our nation, our allies—even those on the other side—to find a resolution that is acceptable to all.”
Aquino was not being truthful with the people when he said that “patrol boats” intercepted the Chinese fishing vessels. It was BRP Gregorio del Pilar, at that time the country’s lone warship.
He was also not telling the truth when he said, “As a sign of our goodwill, we replaced our navy cutter with a civilian boat as soon we could.”
The truth was: sending a warship to intercept a fishing vessel Chinese was a violation of the rules of engagement of “white-to-white, gray-to-gray.” Meaning, a civilian vessel (Coast Guard or Bureau of Fisheries), not a warship, should intercept an intruding civilian vessel. Only when the intruding vessel is military should you send also a military ship.
It was not a sign of goodwill that BRP Gregorio del Pilar was pulled out of Scarborough Shoals.
Philippine authorities realized their mistake. They had to do it or else China would also send its warships.
The Scarborough Shoal incident hastened the Philippine filing of the suit before the U.N Arbitral Tribunal. Hearing started early this month.
It is just proper that Aquino keeps his mouth shut.