A rock and a hard place

The country is caught between a “rock and a hard place,” or between the Devil and Scarborough Shoal! We are bewildered and confused to say it mildly to witness a college debate among the Palace Spokesperson, the Foreign Affairs Secretary, the Defense Secretary and UP Prof. Batongbacal on Twitter, on such a sensitive but lingering national issue: should China be allowed to occupy Scarborough shoal which we legally own by international law?

UP law professor Batongbacal, like Justice Antonio Carpio, comes out credible and has solid basis in law. The rest in the Palace arena on the other hand sound lamely looking for way out with excuses on why we should just let things be! The Palace simply cannot get in the way of China coming in with the promised investments and loans for the “Build, Build, Build” government projects, which are endangered of not getting done by 2022 when the President ends his term. That’s the bottom line. Just practical and convenient economics.

They’d argue: would we rather be taxed more, instead? That’s the Damocles sword the TRAIN laws and SIN taxes have been to many. As to foreign policy and national pride? President Manuel Quezon, who said in not so many words, I’d rather see the Philippines run like hell by Filipinos than run like heaven by Americans… must really be turning in his grave! –  M. K. Tan, CRL, UP Diliman.