By Rowena Joy Flores
Filipinos have been watching the long battle of rights over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), but recent statements of President Rodrigo Duterte about the disputed waters have exceeded our disappointment in him. Perhaps, like his jet ski quip, the dispute over the WPS was a joke to him all along.
Last May 6, Duterte claimed that the 2016 Hague ruling victory was just a piece of paper that he can throw away in a waste basket. This drew him criticism, but more than this, it confirmed that he had no plans to make China leave our territorial waters alone.
It had been building up for a long time, but Duterte’s red flags have become apparent to some of us only now.
Disregard for livelihood
Prior to this, the president also made remarks allowing China to fish in our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the WPS; he also said that China possesses it.
Both statements, along with the “just a piece of paper” claim prompted ex-Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio to file a petition for Duterte to retract his statement.
Protecting our territory and our rights means so much to our countrymen. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said that the galunggong fishes we import from China may have come from our own territorial waters.
Essentially, China robs our local fisherfolk of the catch that is rightfully theirs, and sells the fishes to Filipinos at a higher price.
This affects not only the income of Filipino fishermen, but the income of buyers who have to deal with higher expenses. Both could have been avoided if we had enough supply of fish from our locals who, in the first place, should be free to conduct their livelihood in the WPS.
But no. Our president has decided to be a dear friend to China instead, nevermind the hoarding of fish and their driving away of our fisherfolk.
Even if we did not expect much from him, we are still aghast at how much this territorial blunder has managed to escalate in his term. Our nation’s leader has blatantly disregarded national interest and our sovereignty as a country.
Joke’s on us
According to ABS-CBN, there are about 300,000 fishermen who get their livelihood from the WPS. Many of them have significantly contributed to Duterte’s vote count in the last election,hoping he would protect their source of living.
Among them is Carlo Montehermozo, the fisherman who received Duterte’s now-infamous jet ski joke as an answer to his question concerning the WPS last 2016.
Of course, we did not really believe the president would jet-ski his way to put a flag on the Scarborough Shoal. But even then, many of us believed that he would defend our territorial rights to the WPS.
He implied that even when he joked. So when Duterte repeatedly sided with China and called those who believed in the jet ski joke “stupid,” many were shocked.
Critics had been saying it for years, but he himself made it clear that there was no way he would defend our seas. What happened to the “Exclusive” in Exclusive Economic Zone?
We share Montehermozo’s sentiments. It is only natural that he, along with many of our fellow Filipinos, felt hurt and betrayed. Duterte won 16 million votes last 2016. These people had high hopes and expectations for him, which he repays that by calling them “stupid.”
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have increased their efforts to ward off Chinese vessels. While we laud them, we cannot help but feel that Duterte’s continuous refusal to stand up to China diminishes the effectiveness of their efforts.
From our perspective, they look like dogs whose fierce barks are betrayed by a very weak master. How can they look empowered enough to our people and to China when the head of the state does not support their cause?
We can only agree with Montehermozo when he said that we have a “joke” of a president.
Foreigners over Filipinos
While it is good that Duterte declared that the Philippines will not withdraw our ships in the WPS, it does not erase the overwhelming presence of Chinese ships that continue to threaten our fisherfolk in our own territory.
The president uses the excuse that he does not want to go to war with China. In that respect, we agree with him. Thing is, there is absolutely no need to go to war with China.
Professors for Peace, a group of over 200 university and college professors, are positive that we can assert our rights over the WPS without the risk of war. They cited how Vietnam and Indonesia were successfully able to ward off China’s advances in their EEZs and still maintain connections with Beijing.
Why should there almost always be a looming threat of violence? Declaring war and insisting that our rights be respected are two very different things.
“I just simply love Xi Jinping,” Duterte said last April 2018. His actions today stay faithful to those words. Someone tell the president we are jealous.
If he showed that same amount of love to Filipinos, there would probably be no Chinese vessels shooing away our people in the WPS.
Hoping for better
The best we can get from the president is his declaration that he will not withdraw the Philippines’ ships in the WPS, even if it means ending his friendship with China. We can only hope that he is not joking this time.
Otherwise, Chinese vessels will continue to oppress more people in our own seas.
Carpio said that although some of Duterte’s statements can stand as grounds for impeachment, it is not a viable option when most of those in Congress are Duterte’s allies. What we can do for now is to reflect and be wise. The 2022 elections are fast approaching, and we know we deserve better leaders who are not only competent, but would also care for the welfare of his countrymen before his foreign friends.
Just like Carpio said “Filipinos deserve, and should demand a president who loves Filipinos first and foremost and who will uncompromisingly defend Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.”
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