EDITORIAL - Mishandling the China crisis

Filipinos are doubly angry at China. They are angry first and foremost because of Chinese provocations and intrusions into our territory. They get angrier still on knowing the Philippines can do absolutely nothing about the problem.

This is why Filipinos promptly stood up to applaud, not the Americans to whom we always look up to for protection, but, of all people, the Russians who did not hesitate to fire upon and then seize two Chinese fishing boats that intruded into their waters and detained their crew.

Not a few of these Filipinos grew moist in the eye, dreaming of the day when we can stand up to our tormentors and be ready to fight our own wars, instead of forever tugging at the skirt of an ally whose willingness to fight for a friend is shaped naturally by its own interests.

Why this has never occurred to the Philippines surprises most countries except our own. An indication of our continued incapacity to understand foreign policy matters and geopolitical realities can be seen in how angry we got at Cambodia over a recent foreign ministers meeting.

Prompted by its own recent experiences, the Philippines tried to shepherd a joint Asean communique meant to signal displeasure at China’s aggressive posturings in the region. But the meeting host, Cambodia, a diehard Chinese ally, refused to recognize the effort.

The Philippines frothed in the mouth with great displeasure, and made such displeasure known to anybody who cared to listen, prompting Indonesia to go nation-hopping in an effort to salvage the unity and integrity of the regional grouping.

While the Philippines was both correct in its position, and right in trying to whip up a unified position against China, it was clearly unprepared to handle defeat and frustration in the international arena and behaved so badly it had to take another country to try and sort the mess.

Unless the Philippines is prepared to take matters into its own hands, like what Russia did, then it better behave appropriately lest it creates more enemies instead of winning over new friends and sympathizers.

Lastly, as repeatedly pointed out here, only the president and the foreign secretary must talk on foreign policy matters like the China crisis. Spokesmen should stop speaking, especially if all they do is give a blow-by-blow of our own mauling.