STOP the Anti-Sara Campaign, SCS Tensions in aid of: Elections, Money and War Profits
ACPSSII October 8-16 Global and National Issues Position Paper
I. SCS Moro-Moro in aid of: Election, Politics, Money and War Profits
The Filipino nation has been subjected to ten years of “arbitration tension” and ten months of recent “Ayungin” and “Panatag” shoal tension since BBM’s February 2023 pivot back to U.S. mendicancy. Both these exercises have produced nothing for the Filipino nation – not one inch of additional territory or EEZ control, not one additional grain of rice nor one $ discount for fuel.
What gains have been made have been for: 1) politicians to grandstand in aid of publicity and elections highlighted now by Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro’s laughably premature giant campaign billboard that “calls out China’s creeping occupation”; 2) Diversionary Diplomacy of PBBM away from rice, fuel, transport, debt, illegal drugs crises; 3) the PCG and DND bureaucrats getting additional budgetary, confidential and intelligence funds; 4) the U.S. and Western defense industries arms deployment in new U.S. bases in the Philippines and military sales.
The reckless, irresponsible misuse of Diversionary Diplomacy courts extreme danger and peril for the Filipino nation, endangering the 24-years modus vivendi with China that ensured the humanitarian deliveries and safety of our Marines on board the BRP Sierra Madre and the seven years of cooperation in protecting the Scarborough Lagoon fish sanctuary with China starting with President Duterte’s announcement in 2016.
The adventurist SCS policy of PBBM and the U.S.-backed NTF-WPS spokesman and PBBM’s DND and NSC officials is courting enmity and confrontation the U.S. has been egging, similar to the on-going Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian crises. The escalation the PBBM misadventure has pushed the latest tension up as AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed that the CCG confronted a Philippine Navy ship at Bajo de Masinloc after denying the incident earlier.
We urge the PBBM government to reverse its present course of confrontation with the beneficent Asian power China which is helping Asia and the World through ten years of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which will be celebrated by 90 countries this October in Beijing, China. In following the diktat of the U.S. the Philippines is jeopardizing its productive cooperation with China that has produced 55-million vaccines supply and donations in the Covid-19 crisis, bridges and irrigation projects, fertilizer and rice donations, $ 2-billion annual income from Chinese tourism in 2019, and plenty more.
II. STOP the 7% President’s premature anti-Sara campaign
In June 2023 Pulse Asia Survey released in findings and found only 6% of Filipinos are concerned about “Defending the Integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners”, this rose to only 7% in September despite massive anti-China Ayungin and Scarborough Shoal PCG and PN goading. 93% of Filipinos are concerned about inflation, food, transportation, crime and economy. Yet, the administration is whipping up more and more SCS “cry wolf” scare stories.
President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. ratings suffered a significant crash of 15% in a few months in the intervening period but the concern about alleged China aggression has remained practically the same low 6-7% despite the tsunami of negative propaganda against China affirming that it is not a major concern of the public. In fact, China is the solution to many of the crises the Philippines faces but which PBBM cannot turn to due to his deal with the warmongering US.
Instead, PBBM has opened the door to his political allies to launch the negative campaign on the popular Vice President Sara Duterte who in the traditionally non-controversial roles of VP and Secretary of Education using the “confidential fund” issue that many branches and levels of government in-reality also share, particularly the Congress from where the black campaign was started. PBBM is committing a grave sin in using politics to solve his government’s economic woes which will only make them worse.
III. Philippines fails to lead towards Palestinian-Israel solution
The Philippines is part of the ASEAN of which several major member countries are Muslim, it behooves the Philippine government to consider the sentiment of all its fellow ASEAN brothers in this crisis befalling the Palestinians and Israelis in the current Hamas vs. Israel conflict. Civilians on both sides are caught between two violent forces set in opposition by the circumstances of history, the bitter fruit of Western imperialism and colonialism.
The Philippines should take a positive stance by proposing the solution that has long been laid down on the table: the Two-State Solution. The Philippines has goodwill for all Mankind and wishes peace and prosperity for all. However, condemnation of the history and on-going and historical violations and attacks on civilian men, women and children is from both sides is imperative. Hamas and the Israeli forces have committed such violations in pursuit of its political objectives.
The Philippines’ response under PBBM is both shoot-from-the-hip and myopic, dovetailing the U.S. response automatically perfunctorily defending and supporting Israel even in its most egregious actions against the Palestinian, including the “concentration camp” treatment of the 2-million Palestinian n the Gaza strip today. The Two-State solution has been on the table since 1974 with the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” calling for “two States, Israel and Palestine… side by side within secure and recognized borders.”
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