By Artchil B. Fernandez
China is intensifying its aggression in the West Philippine Sea. A little over a month ago, it dangerously used water cannons on civilian supply boats to troops stationed at the marooned BP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. It caused serious damage to the supply boats and injured their crew.
Last week, China repeated its attack on Philippine vessels. This time the targets were Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel BRP Bagacay and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ vessel BRP Datu Bankaw. They were on their way to Scarborough Shoal — also called Bajo de Masinloc to bring food and fuel to fishermen in the area when attacked by China Coast Guard (CCG) ships. Powerful water cannons were used against Philippine vessels badly damaging them.
To justify its violent behavior in the disputed area, China claimed there was a “temporary special arrangement” between China and the Philippines in 2016 over Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal. “According to the temporary special arrangements by the Chinese side in 2016, Filipino fishermen can fish with small fishing boats in designated waters except the lagoon of Huangyan Dao (Panatag Shoal), while the AFP, PCG, and other Philippine government vessels and aircraft should refrain from entering the 12 nautical miles and corresponding air space of Huangyan Dao (Panatag Shoal),” China’s embassy in Manila claimed.
Current administration however reneged on the “agreement” China maintained justifying its attacks on Philippine vessels.
“However, these arrangements are unilaterally disrupted by the current Philippine administration who dispatched its coast guard ships and official vessels to intrude a number of times into waters within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Dao and encouraged the Filipino fishermen to challenge the arrangements to help promote its political agenda,” a spokesperson for the embassy asserted. The embassy also stated the previous administration of Du30 faithfully abided by the agreement.
The “temporary special arrangement” is a new revelation. Earlier it was uncovered that Du30 entered into a “gentleman’s agreement” with China’s leader Xi Jinping on Ayungin Shoal. Du30 promised China that the Philippines will not repair or do any construction on BP Sierra Madre thus allowing the outpost to deteriorate and collapse which will pave the way for the departure of Philippine troops in Ayungin Shoal. In effect, Du30 has handed over that part of Philippine territory to China.
“Temporary special arrangement” by previous administration with China on Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal is another Du30’s treachery. What Du30 did is to give up Philippine sovereignty on Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal, also ceding that strategic part of the Philippines to China.
Retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio, a leading expert on the maritime dispute in West Philippine Sea said Du30 in effect “waived Philippine sovereignty, albeit temporarily.” He slammed Du30 for his betrayal and duplicity.
“Under the Constitution, then president Duterte had no power to waive, even temporarily, Philippine sovereignty or traditional fishing rights of Filipinos unless the waiver is embodied in a treaty ratified by the Senate,” argued Carpio. “These waivers are also void because these were done without fully informing Congress and the Filipino people. Moreover, China admits that these waivers constituted a ‘temporary special arrangement’ and thus could be repudiated anytime by either party,” he added.
Furthermore, what Du30 did is grossly disadvantageous to the interest of the country and the Filipino people Carpio declared. “These acts of Duterte caused undue injury to poor Filipino fishermen and the government through Duterte’s gross, inexcusable negligence or evident bad faith.There is gross inexcusable negligence because the waivers clearly violated the Constitution. There is evident bad faith because Duterte did not fully disclose these waivers of sovereignty and traditional fishing rights to Congress and the Filipino people.”
It is now crystal clear Du30 made several secret deals with China on the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea. Du30’s “gentleman’s agreement’ on the fate of BP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal and his “temporary special arrangement” regarding Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal are all favorable to China. These questionable accords have provided China justifications albeit flimsy for its aggressive and violent actions in the West Philippine Sea.
Du30 is either a naïve fool taken for a ride by China, or he is an active agent of an expansionist imperialist power determined to steal and rob Philippine territory. Either way, by omission or commission Du30 betrayed the country and the Filipino people. The West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines. Legally, logically, morally, historically, in all angles the Philippines owns that body of water. International law ruled in favor of the Philippines. China is grabbing that part of the country and is resorting to force and violence to enforce its theft of Philippine territory.
Tragically, China is aided by traitors – 21st century Macabebes and Makapilis, in its land (sea) grabbing activities. Du30 and his fanatics are the most strident defenders of China’s aggression. They parrot China’s lie and line, promoting a defeatist attitude. Since the Philippines cannot fight China militarily, its only choice is to cede its territory to the bully they assert. This thinking is poisonous. This is treason of the highest degree.
The country must be protected and defended from without and within. External threat is the aggressor China, and the internal threat is its agents – the traitors who sold their country to an imperialist power for thirty pieces of silver.
