Those who have taken these view will be disappointed because the U.S has taken a neutral position in the conflicting claims in the South China Sea (part of it is referred to as West Philippine Sea) and has always been consistent in urging for a peaceful resolution of the conflicting claims.
The Obama administration has decided to rebalance its military forces from Middle East to Asia, in what is seen by analysts as a move to contain China’s hegemony in the region.
Primarily, the U.S. wants to ensure that the sealanes are open and unhampered for international navigation.
But as former UN Representative Lauro Baja, Jr. observed, the Americans do not want to ‘vulgarize’ this objective.
In increasing its presence in Asia, the United States does not want to play referee to countries fighting over islands, rocks and shoals. “They want a stable region. They don’t want to prejudice their strategic relations with China, which is more important than claims over rocks and shoals,” Baja said.
In preparation for the implementation of their Pivot to Asia policy, senior American officials have been coming here the past months and assessing the situation. One thing that they were concerned about is the tension between the Philippines and China over the disputed islands especially Bajo de Masinloc otherwise known as Scarborough Shoal or Panatag shoal and lately the Ayungin shoal.
The Philippines has filed a suit with the UN Arbitral Court questioning China’s nine dash-line, which encompasses the whole South China Sea including several countries’ territories.
A source said some of the analysts interviewed by American officials said that the “Shame China” strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs under Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has contributed largely to the deteriorating relations between the Philippines and China.
Del Rosario has, several times accused China of “duplicity and intimidation.” Malacañang spokesperson Edwin Lacierda has also made sure that he is not behind in China-bashing.
In his 2011 SONA, Aquino, declared: “ There was a time when we couldn’t appropriately respond to threats in our own backyard. Now, our message to the world is clear: What is ours is ours; setting foot on Recto Bank is no different from setting foot on Recto Avenue.”
He was referring to the disputed Recto or Reed Bank near Palawan.
In his 2012 SONA, he talked lengthily about the situation in Bajo de Masinloc. He said, “We demonstrated utmost forbearance in dealing with this issue. As a sign of our goodwill, we replaced our navy cutter with a civilian boat as soon as we could. We chose not to respond to their media’s harangues. I do not think it excessive to ask that our rights be respected, just as we respect their rights as a fellow nation in a world we need to share.
“There are those who say that we should let Bajo de Masinloc go; we should avoid the trouble. But if someone entered your yard and told you he owned it, would you agree? Would it be right to give away that which is rightfully ours?”
Aquino can be stubborn. But he listens to America. Last year,a month after he withdrew all the ships from Bajo de Masinloc, he, supported by the majority of the members of his cabinet, decided to send back the ships to the area which was by then already controlled by the Chinese. Upon learning of Malacañang’s decision, the U.S. relayed the advice through defense officials that it would not be wise to send back the ships to Bajo de Masinloc. The ships were not sent back.
Our source said, two weeks before the President’s State of the Nation address, U.S. officials advised the DFA and Malacanang to tone down their anti-China rhetorics to reduce tension in the region. That explains why in last month’s SONA there was no mention, not a word, about conflict with China.
Last Aug. 2, Del Rosario, who never let any media opportunity to censure China pass, told members of the foreign correspondents association in the country, that he was not keen on guesting in their forum on the South China Sea because he was “looking for a modus vivendi with China.”
China should thank Uncle Sam.
Why are we so obsessed with defending our rocks and shoals against foreign who incidentally is a chinese invasion on our peripheral areas? Yet we neglect the very base of our economic, political, defense, and social development system here in our main homeland, already occupied and controlled by foreigners who incidentally are the chinese as well as the north americans of the United States? Is it because they just happen to have their possession of our nation institutionalized thru papers that makes the difference?
Which has more profound impact to us as a nation and to our life as human beings with needs to have access to economic resources, control of our systems of national function, control of direction of development of our nation, and keeping our dignity as a people and nation? Is it our possession of our rocks and shoal on our peripheral areas, or possession of our economic, political, defense, and social development here in our very main homeland?
Why do we have to make a choice on who among foreigners should occupy, and control direction of our development? Why do we have to neglect possession and control of our national development systems in our homebase in favor of foreigners in our obsession to defend our rocks and shoals on our peripheral areas?
In the 1900s, we never had to make a choice. We just united and defended our nation single handedly against invasion by the U.S., the emerging most powerful nation in the world, as well as against the chinese creeping invasion of our economic, legislative, and political base. We only lost our hold of our nation when the U.S., the emerging most powerful nation in the world, resorted to massive hostage taking and extermination of the civilians among us filipinos.
We can recover our inherited nation when we can once again unite and defend our nation as we did when we were just a newly born nation in the 1900s.
Jose Miguel, the choice you’ve posited to Filipino patriots like mahself is akin with “mah heart or mah brain: choose one and lose the orher”.
Those islets in the West Philippines Sea are, to me, as important as any part of the whole Philippines;v hence, ah rather lose none by risking mah own life to lose all!
And that’s a non-.negotiable position, Jose Miguel.
That said, how do ah propose to retain ALL parts and parcels of the Philippines’ geopolitical territory?
Simple. Through mah RP-Statehood-USA Agenda… which not only once and for all time resolve that nasty ChiCom territorial-grab and Asian hegemony, but also to solve practically-ALL Philippines’ problems (i.e.: Sabah,serially- criminal Philippine leaders, volatile peso-currency, abuses against our OFWs by their host-countries, CCP-NPA rebellions, Muslim-separatism, et cetera…) and thus immediately-set the Philippines toward developed-world category within days from her formal aceptance into the Federal Union of States of these United States of America!
No other panacea-like solution/s to Philippines’ problems could even come within a lightyear-efficacy to mah proposed RP-Statehood-USA Agenda!
b.a. brigs@2, you’re proposal will “surely” wins acceptance if submitted for Plebiscite, but would the Americans accept it? Or would they even revisit the Issue? What are the pluses and the minuses? for the American side as you already articulately noted the pluses for the Phl, but what about the Powerful and the Elites that still command the influence within the Phl to rather have the Phl run like Hell by them (and Profit handsomely)than heaven by anyone)and for example, the Binays, Estradas, Enriles, Santiagos, even Chavit…
(REVISED EDITED-VERSION OF EARLIER POSTING…
NOTE To Admin: Please remove the original posting hereinabove, together with this bracketed NOTE to you. Thank you.)
Jose Miguel, the choice you’ve posited to Filipino patriots like maself is akin with the impossible proposition: “Your heart or your brain: choose one and lose the other!”
Such demand is a non-starter. Why?
Those islets in the West Philippines Sea are, to me, as important as any part of the whole Philippines; hence, ah rather lose none of them by risking mah own life – if ah’ve to lose them all, anyway!
And that’s a non-negotiable position, Jose Miguel. Call me a stupid-fool; but ah will choose to stand mah ground if it costs all of me.
That said, how do ah propose to retain ALL parts and parcels of the Philippines’ geopolitical territory against the most populated, the 2nd militarily most-powerful and richest nation on Earth?
Such complex problem such as the Philippines’ have is truly symbolic of the mythical Gordian Knot to almost-all but very few Filipinos.
Well, in reality, the solution really is simple, practical, reasonably-affordable, all-encompassing, and fortunately… ’tis in full accord with Christian ethos.
PROPOSED. SOLUTION: RP-Statehood-USA Agenda
Through mah RP-Statehood-USA Agenda… which not only once and for all time resolve that nasty ChiCom territorial-grab and Asian hegemony by coercing China’s leaders to follow the UNCLOS Doctrine – via the full force of the Philippines-strengthened USA for the enforcement of Pax Americana in the East- & South China Seas, but also to solve practically-ALL Philippines’ problems (i.e.: Sabah, serially- criminal Philippine leaders, volatile peso-currency, abuses against our OFWs by their host-countries, CCP-NPA rebellions, Muslim-separatism, et cetera…) and thus immediately-set the Philippines toward her fast-cruise into attaining her “developed-nation” category within the auspices of the United States of America…starting within a few days from the ceremonial signage of apt documents attendant to her formal full-acceptance into the Federal Union of States of these United States of America!
No other panacea-like solution/s to Philippines’ problems could even come within a lightyear-efficacy to mah proposed RP-Statehood-USA Agenda’ effectiveness in arighting Philippines’ wrongs! With global positive implications, too!
Vic, firstly… ah fully appreciate a good-faith gesture for you to fully disclose your full name. You’ll find mah bio-profile at http://www.Facebook.com/StarBLDR – should you wish to know more about me beyond mah name.
2ndly, am glad to note about your qualified acceptance per se – with just the preamble and no specifics indicated thus far – of mah RP-Statehood-USA Agenda: The All-encompassing Panacea-like Proposed-Solution To Zero-sum Practically-All Philippines’ Problems!
Ah hope that when the proposed specifications are known to you, that you will give this ennobling proposition your full support.
And in mah answering your first 3 queries, the specs would start their public re-appearances again.
So behold, for here…out they come!
YOU ASKED, QUOTE: “Would the Americans accept mah proposed RP-Statehood-USA Agenda?” End Quote.
Vic, American leaders are essentially-open-minded bite-the-bullet-courageous bunch of eclecticists who are singly – although often jointly-and-severally – motivated with practical ideals that logically and scientifically address tough problems before them. One such American problem today is her fast-greying, comparably-small-for-a-superpower population. Hence its understandable-tolerance for young illegaliens numbering in the mind-boggling 10s-of-millions to amateurishly-run her industrial might – and lately, to help fight her wars.
With 100-million Filipinos of which some 60% are under 30yrs-young, mah proposed RP-Statehood-USA Agenda will solve that American problem with only about a couple of thousand signatures; on top of her permanently-gain a strategic beachfront in the world’s biggest market of American products, services and space-age hi-tech knowledge: ASIA!
There are many many more benefits accruing for America & Americans, but this should suffice for now to answer your first basic question: Would the Americans accept mah proposed RP-Statehood-USA Agenda?
YOU BETCHA AMERICANS AREN’T FOOLS NOT TO ENTERTAIN SERIOUSLY THE BEST PROPOSED SOLUTION TO MANY GORDIAN-KNOTTY PROBLEMS THAT AMERICA COULDN’T EFFICIENTLY-SOLVE ON HER OWN MEANS & RESOURCES SOON ENOUGH, Vic!
And mind you, America didn’t morph into the globe’s singular superpower-nation vis-a-vis practically-everything imaginable in all aspects of human endeavors in life, in death, undersea, overseas, in space, above-ground, underground, et cetera… by being stupid, mah friend!
Got those, Vic?!?!?
***permanently-GAINING a strategic beachfront…
YOU ASKED, QUOTE: “Or, would Americans even revisit the issue of RP-Statehood-USA?” End Quote.
Ah’ve talked to hundreds of ordinary Americans for years, Vic…and bcoz of malicious-but-understandable presumptions Nov their part, the intro is always a hard-sell.
But ah still have to encounter mah third American objector to mah RP-Statehood-USA proposition! For after carefully elucidating the features, specifications, highlights and spotlights of this ennobling ideal, all hundreds of them Americans ah’ve interviewed were sold to the ideal by a factor of 100%-acceptance! – well, except two: one of whom was a close-minded black American man who felt unconvinced that we Filipinos aren’t after the shaky social security benefits he is regularly-getting; while the other was a Mexican-American ole lady who wisely-thought that mah ennobling proposition would seal the US-Mexico border to future illegaliens trafficking (which ah had to admit would be a likely consequence…)
Would American leaders in Washington DC and in the 50 States’ Capitols be interested in listening to an RP-Statehood-USA sales-pitch?
Ah’ve not even an iota of doubt nor cynicism that ah am fully-capable to sell to the comfortable plurality of these American wheeler-dealers the idealized proposition of RP-Statehood-USA with which American citizens – as well as the whole American Nation – will enormously-benefit from starting at Day 1!
YOU ASKED, QUOTE: “What are the pluses and the minuses for the American-side – as you already articulately-noted the pluses for the Philippines…” End Quote.
Can’t enumerate them all in this forum, Vic… But ah will give you a good handfuls you can chew on, namely:
T.O.P. PARTY’s RP-Statehood-USA AGENDA
A. SOME ADVANTAGES BENEFITING THE USA & INDIVIDUAL AMERICAN CITIZENS
1- Increases the aging US population of +310-millions by ~100-million comparably-younger, well-educated, English-speaking, pro-America, ~85%-Christian/~15%-Muslim, hardworking citizens, all of whom are economically upward-bound and always freedom-loving/freedom-fighters. Population-upsurge is a requisite factor to keep adequately-provided America’s manpower-needs vis-a-vis her singular global-superpowerdom, her continuing economic superiority, and her guaranteed post-industrial might.
2- Increases the US-taxpayers’ base of approx. 140-million, by approx. 40-million New American taxpayers starting at Day 1 of the Philippines’ US-statehood;
3- Adds approx. 100-million new taxpaying-members to the financially-moribund US Social Security Administration — subject to that federal agency’s thorough auditing regimen followed by unacceptable systemic-and-financial-overhaul-for-indefinite-economic-viability — with practically-$0.00-cash-benefits to these new SS-members for many years to come;
4- … ditto for the US MediCare system …
5- Provides America with a permanent strategic Asia-homebase for international trade with over-half of the Earth’s population from the Pakistan-India-Burma corridor on the western-front, to the PROC-Mongolia-Russia-Japan intersection on the northeastern-front, all the way down-south to the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea-Australia triadic marketplace.
6- Provides America with a permanent strategic Asia-homebase for national/global/interplanetary security needs and American military/naval bases to contain head-on the gaining-spread of international communism and jihadists’ terrorism.
7- As the world’s top producer of world-class nurses and allied medical-professionals, the Philippines has ample supply of highly-competent and extra-caring healthcare-staff to attend to America’s +80-million Baby Boomer-retirees.
8- America as a global marketplace would get enlarged by 100-million more consumers to comfortably-enable her the wherewithals to ‘dictate’ on a global-scale such free-market policies like affordable pricing levels and quality standards, consumer protection, workplace-safety, manpower wages/benefits, et cetera.
9- World-renown Filipino ingenuity & work ethics/attitude + America’s cutting-edge hi-techs = US superior manpower/warriors/products/services/living standards + more efficient industries
10- Provides America with less-expensive tropical launching-base for space- and interplanetary vehicles.
B. SOME DISADVANTAGES THAT WOULD NEGATIVELY-IMPACT AGAINST THE USA’s & INDIVIDUAL AMERICAN CITIZENS’ BEST INTERESTS
1- None that could be foreseen at this point in time, which defies appropriate long-term fixes.
For instance, the Philippines will not allow her dirt (I.e.: known criminals, anarchists, prostitutes, atheists/agnostics, agricultural/fisheries pests and diseases, et cetera) to contaminate other States of the Federal Union through uncontrolled migration and interstate travels – on a quid pro quo basis.
*** followed by ACCEPTABLE systemic-and-financial-overhaul-for-indefinite-economic-viability…
YOU ASKED, QUOTE: “But what about the Powerful and the Elites who still command the influence within the Philippines – to rather have the Philippines run like Hell by them (and profit handsomely, too – rather than run like heaven by anyone). For example, the Binays, Estradas, Enriles, Santiagos, even Chavit…” End Quote.
With the US Justice System in place, those criminal elements have done enough crimes to keep them jailed sans eligibility for parole nor pardon for their lifetime. Ah venture to suggest, as well, that many of those serial criminals will hang within one year following their criminal conviction.
Furthermore, all their scions to the 3rd generation will be proscribed occupancy of public office through constitutional amendment of the anti-nepotism and political-dynasty clause of the Philippines’ State Constitution.
Those said, this singularly-nasty lifelong-lingering Philippines problem gets permanently-solved in due course, yes?