Sen. Robin Padilla, my goodness!
I seem to observe that many of us, Filipinos, have refused to recognize the abuse heaped upon us by Communist China. We somehow do not appear wronged that these communists violated our territorial integrity when they invaded portions of land declared by the international arbitral tribunal as within our exclusive economic zone, occupied some of our islets and built their own military facilities there. Do you have a complete stranger of a neighbor who intrudes into your property and builds his house thereon without asking your permission? That is an analogy of the unspeakable Chinese arrogance. Here is something worse. That neighbor of yours mounts a 105 mm howitzer, cocks a caliber 30 machine gun and aims these at you in case you ask him to show respect and leave.
How many of us protested when, in 2019, a Chinese vessel Yuemaobinyu 42212 rammed a Filipino banca named Gem-Ver I at Recto Bank, causing the latter to sink? By the way, this Recto Bank, also known as the Reed Bank, is within the Philippine exclusive economic zone northwest of Palawan. Yet, we did not raise a thunderous national outcry to denounce that criminal act. True, we registered our few murmurs of protest but eventually our small voices even got muffled by the disinterest and more deafening silence of the many. What was my take of the Gem-Ver I incident? My mischievous mind tells me that it was more of a premeditated militaristic act than an unfortunate civilian accident.
It is most perplexing to realize that only a handful of Filipinos care to talk about the latest bullying by huge armada of Chinese maritime assets against Philippine registered vessels. Our boats made of indigenous materials (a euphemism for wood) were on the way to bring fresh supplies to our countrymen quartered at the BRP Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. They were blocked and harassed by steel hulled Chinese ships 3-4 times bigger. Let us thank heavens that there were few fellow Filipinos, even if grossly outnumbered and significantly outgunned, who risked their lives to assert Philippine sovereignty. But again, not many of us Filipinos have expressed our appreciation to our heroes. Differently said, more Filipinos opted to keep their mouths shut.
No, we are not a unified nation expressing a collective indignation against this modern land grabbing imperialistic super power called communist China.
Sadly, even the supposed hallowed halls of our Senate demonstrates this disunity. I was expecting every senator to denounce the recent dangerous maneuver of the Chinese coast guard in blocking our resupply vessels. I expected too much. What I got from a television footage added to my extreme dismay. A very popular movie star turned politician, who carries the name Robin Padilla, mumbled statements that only added to my suspicion of his intellectual capacity to perform such a heavy task of a senator! Rather than add worthy legal thoughts on what to do to demand from China a stoppage of their bullying tactics, Padilla drew from his apparently shallow understanding of international law to talk irrelevantly about the alleged surveillance flight of an American spy plane. What?
Hope someone like Sen. Jose Diokno and Sen. Lorenzo Tañada (may they rest in peace) can find time to educate us and more importantly Sen. Robin Padilla on this Chinese invasion and unite our nation in this noble undertaking of protecting our territory.
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