Respect for Phl sovereignty must be earned

Here's a small historical note that my good friend, Jose Mari Picornell, told me over the phone the other day… that tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of the official inauguration of the Cebu Provincial Capitol. I'm sure that you must have seen those old black and white photos of the Capitol when it was still new, when there wasn't even an island in the middle of what was then called Jones Avenue, when traffic jams were unheard of because the jeepneys would appear a decade later in 1948.

At that time, Don Sergio Osmeña, Sr. was ridiculed by the Cebu press for moving the Provincial Capitol from its old location at the corner of Colon St. and M.J. Cuenco Ave. in front of the Plaza Independencia because there really was nothing at the Capitol area, which was still wilderness at that time. The limits of Cebu City then was only up to P. del Rosario St. Yes, even the Fuente Osmeña was just too far away from the downtown area of Cebu City. I'm writing this piece for our readers to reminisce those moments in history.

*  *  *

Come Monday, June 17, is the end of the 6-month suspension by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) of Cebu Governor Gwen F. Garcia. Because she has not telegraphed her punches, every Tom, Dick and Pundit has been asking the pertinent question whether or not she would return to her office for the last two weeks of her term as Cebu's 1st lady governor?  In my book, she would be remiss in her duties as Governor of Cebu if she no longer returns. Her stint as governor ends on June 30, 2013 and therefore whether she likes it or not… or whether you like it or not, she has to return to the office of the Governor.

The whole trouble with politics these days is that, the barkers of the new governor are spreading rumors that she doesn't have or need to return to the Capitol so that Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale can officially turnover the office of the Governor to Governor-elect Hilario Davide, III. This nonsense should not be allowed to happen. So let's stop all that bullshit!

*  *  *

We are now nearly three full years in the administration of Pres. Benigno “PNoy” Aquino, III and one of the social problems that has plagued his presidency is the issue of the Hacienda Luisita, which, according to no less than the Supreme Court of the Philippines, belongs to the tillers or farmers of this highly-controversial land. No matter how PNoy boasts of the gains he made under his administration, for as long as there is injustice in Hacienda Luisita under his watch, those gains would pale in comparison to giving those lands to the poor farmer. So when will these farmers celebrate their independence day from the oppression of cruel landowners? Let's ask this from PNoy. In another 3 years perhaps?

Meanwhile, the President's message during the 115th Independence Day celebration yesterday called upon all nations “To respect Philippine sovereignty amid the ongoing territorial dispute with some countries.” Perhaps no one has told PNoy that respect has to be earned. Before he became President, those territories that he talked about where already in dispute with China, Vietnam and Malaysia. But no one dared to take on the Philippines because the leaders of those nations “respected” the President.

Early in his presidency, PNoy bungled our relations with China with the mishandling of the Hong Kong hostage incident that the whole world was able to watch in sheer horror, the outcome of which ended the lives of eight innocent Hong Kong tourists. PNoy refused to apologize for that incident, and worse of all, no heads rolled because of it. What do you think the leaders of these countries would think about PNoy? Certainly not in admiration or in respect.

Respect can also be earned in various ways. Israel is a good example. While the Muslim nations surrounding Israel still won't recognize their existence or sovereignty, these Muslim nation know about the military prowess of the Israelis as proven in the famous Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War, where the Israel Army literally surrounded the Egyptian Army, which at that time was considered the best trained Muslim army. Thanks to those defeats, Israel earned the respect of its neighbors.

But what's our military readiness in case we need to go to war? We have an Air Force without war planes, we have a Navy with only two Frigates. So if any nation plans to invade our territory, they can literally land on our beaches and takeover our nation, much like what the Japanese did during World War II. But the Japanese Occupation wasn't easy for the Japanese, thanks to the Filipino guerrillas who were trained as Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). Alas, we removed the ROTC, the only subject in college that teaches our youth love of country. Bring back the ROTC now!

*  *  *

Email: [email protected]