On the Question of the Spratlys

On the Question of the Spratlys

All nations who are all interested parties to the Spratlys based their claims on history. China which is the oldest says Nansha, as it calls it- says its in South China seas.

The Philippines says the Kalayaan Group and the Mischief Reef belongs to it having the islands annexed in 1971 through a presidential decree issued by Marcos at the same time they put up a military outpost in the area.

But for the Alliance, the Philippines has the strongest legal claim for the two areas being situated within 200 nautical miles under the United Nation Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS). But legal niceties are for the long term and will last for decades or even centuries.

Although the Alliance believes that the Philippines has a legal claim to the islands nearest or within its border, we compare it to the historic Philippine claim to the Sabah islands. It was even included into the map of the Philippines but was never integrated to the republic and is now a part of Malaysia

It is imperative to discuss the consequences and its historical antecedent to discuss the issues without emotions and study it through concrete analysis. This to discuss possible stand on the issues.

Spratlys History

It maybe too be naïve to believe that the Philippines will win ownership of the islands by simply invoking the UNCLOS. All national interests are won by depending it by force and the sacrifices of the parties concern.

In the first place, it was a Filipino merchant mariner named Admiral Tomas Cloma who planted the Philippine flag in the 45 island/reef chains in the late 60" and from then on the Philippine government to the chiding of the United States who garrisoned the area.

Admiral Tomas Cloma was a Filipino nationalist, the father of the Philippine merchant marine fleet. He was the founder of the merchant marine academy in the Philippines. He planted the Filipino flag in the biggest island which now a Philippine garrison near the island of Palawan. Yet is was Marcos who grabbed the credit for his imperialist masters and claimed the islands for the republic.

Especially the area is know to have the largest oil or natural deposits of mineral and being coveted by six nations in Asia and the most powerful imperialist superpower in the world who has the largest naval fleet outside of its  borders and mainland.

We must accept the reality that the Philippines cannot afford the mighty China in a shooting war. The Philippine Navy has only seven old World War II vintage ships and has no air force to fight any invading nations in that area.

Maybe during the early 1950’s and 60’s, the Philippines has one of the strongest navy and air force. But today we have sunk as Asia’s old man who cannot even defend its immigrants against our neighbors like Indonesia and Malaysia who deports our people at their own whims and will.

We must look at how China has fortified, send a strong naval contingent and has bullied the Philippines, Vietnam and other nations around it. And look how puny and feeble are the Philippine armed forces attempt to defend the area. At most what they can do is to rename the South China Seas as "West Philiippine Sea" as if we can defend the area by renaming it.

Remember the lessons of history

The Alliance-Philippines believe that it will good for the country not to engage the services or the United States or take its assurance that it will defend its own interests by abiding to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), the basis of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

We must also fell prey to the jingoism of old anti communist and  anti China people in the United States who are planning anti-Chinese rallies in major cities, They are just provoking more tensions between our people. These “ summer patriots and sunshine soldiers” will be the first to run if there will be tensions between China and the Philippines because they are safe in the United States.

We must remember our history. The United States occupied the Philippines just to abandon it to the Japanese in World War II. They let the Japanese occupy the Philippines for almost three years from 1941-1945 at a gargantuan cost to our lives and properties.

Even at the height of the Philippine claim to Sabah in the tension filled years of 1960-68, the United States let the British jets to refuel in Clark Air Base in route to Malaysia which they supported against the Philippine claim in 1968. The Filipino people will never forget such insult to pass and will always remember how America forsake its supposed ally to side with its British cousins.

Now they are talk of leasing military equipments such as ships and planes to the Philippines at the tune of $ 450 million for AFP modernization. Even the assurance of US officials led by State Secretary Clinton cannot be counted on. It is as vague as any American promise to the moon and the stars.

But the so called AFP modernization has been going on for time immemorial and yet the AFP is not modern or advance in technology even in the terms of arms and equipments. IT will go the graft lords of the government and the pabaon and pasalubongs of AFP generals.

How can we expect to defend and even safeguard our territory much more of our sovereignty and pride?

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