America is not going to fight for the Philippines against China

FRONTLINE

Better relations today? 

By Ninez Cacho-Olivares

What was that Sonny Trillanes said about his having succeeded at?

Improving relations with China today, as he bragged that he had not only succeeded in having the Chinese ships leave — to the point of just some ships still there but are now anchored on international waters?

Have we got news for him. China is said to be speeding up construction of Sansha City on the island being claimed by Palawan.

The latest on this had China’s government web portal Sunday saying that Chinese authorities have mapped out plans for four infrastructure projects and started a housing program.

China had said Sansha City is to administer over 200 islets, sandbanks and reefs in Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands, but the Palawan town had earlier asserted its authority over the area.

Kalayaan (Palawan) Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr., who had built a school on that isle insisted that Filipinos settled on the islands in 1978, whereas China is forming the government of its Sansha City there only now.

That’s hardly the point at this time. But he and the Noynoy administration could have been more quiet about laying claim on that isle while building a kindergarten school, which just brought too much attention and additional tension to the problem of the disputed islands.

Sansha Mayor Xiao Jie also announced the beginning of a housing construction program with an investment of $2.97 million.

China set up Sansha officially on Yongxing Island last July 24, the report said.

One day, Filipinos from Palawan, including schoolchildren, would have to be getting a Chinese visa to enter and even reside in this Palawan islet.

Chances are, it won’t be different in some parts of Mindanao, if not all of Mindanao sooner or later, with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front inking a so-called peace pact that would not only allow the MILF, under the name of the BangsaMoro people, more Philippine territories which Noynoy will be giving this “political entity” but also will give them the right and privilege to have its own armed force, something which is banned by the Constitution, that says the country can only have one flag and one armed forces.

Give the MILF the force, and money from both Filipino taxpayers and Muslim governments, and it won’t be long before this “political entity” with an armed force  will have full control of Mindanao’s rich resources — sea, land and air — to the point of one day demanding independence, to fulfill the Moro destiny.

But this active takeover by China has never ever happened before — under previous presidents and administrations, as diplomatic and trade relations between China and Philippines were good to excellent.

It cannot be denied that it was only when Noynoy Aquino came into the government picture that relations between the two neighbors deteriorated, and all because the still inept and inexperienced Noynoy couldn’t see beyond his nose when he cozied up to the Americans, giving them everything they want from its former colony, including near permanent US bases in Mindanao, apart from now willfully violating the Constitution by allowing all those nuclear-fitted submarines and ships enter this country without as much as a check on these vessels.

Noynoy must have believed that, as long as he had the American card to play, he could scare off China, which makes him too naïve about geopolitics and even basic diplomacy.

The way China has aggressively gone against Japan on the disputed islands, to the point of hurting Japan through non-stop protests, with even Japan cutting down and closing up production on its cars and other products, without America even lifting a finger should already tell Noynoy that America is not going to fight for the Philippines against China.