EARLIER this week (in an interview with dzBB radio) Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile raised a question in jest: “Now that China has sent its own astronauts into space, would it eventually go to the moon and claim it as its territory?”
The senate president asserted that it’s the Philippines “lack of military muscle to defend its own territory” which encourages China’s claim to Panatag Shoal.
Enrile said that the ongoing dispute with China should be more than enough reason for the Philippine government to consider Charter change (Cha-cha) in order to beef up military spending in the national budget.
He cites military weakness “as the reason behind the government’s sorry handling of a maritime accident in the West Philippine Sea on June 20 that took the life of a Filipino fisherman, injured three and left four others missing,” as reported by Inquirer.net.
With China’s rising economic and artillery power, the country has become more aggressive in making territorial claims over the West Philippine Sea (aka South China Sea). China postulates territorial ownership of Panatag Shoal (which it refers to as Huangyan Island), citing ancient maps to stake its claim.
But Panatag Shoal (or Bajo de Masinloc) is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (ECC) — a fact recognized under the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS).
Enrile said that China’s claim over the shoal is “legally weak.”
Even with the WWII cutter provided by the US government to the Philippine Coast Guard, Enrile said that the Philippines’ current military efforts are still insufficient.
“The solution to this problem rests with us. We need to beef up our security. That is the only solution. If your neighbor commits acts of aggression, it would be your fault if you refuse to prepare,” Enrile said.
Spending more for the modernization of the country’s military should be the first step, meaning that the government needs to review its current priorities.
“Let us make a Constitution that is flexible. Leave it to the representatives of the people to decide what are the priorities at any given time,” said the senate president.
But according to Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Charter change is the least priority in President Aquino’s list.
“What we are doing right now is to create a minimum defense position. That’s why we are acquiring military hardware. We have not made any discussions right now on Charter change. The President has made his position very clear on that point with respect to Charter change,” Lacierda said.
“If we can resolve problems or issues without going through amending the Charter, we will continue to do it that way,” he added.
House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II opined: “The proposal of Senate President JPE is noble, but I don’t think we have the time to tackle constitutional amendment proposals, assuming that we can sit as a constituent assembly.”
Enrile’s proposal also drew mixed reactions from his colleagues in the Senate.
In a text message to the Phil. Daily Inquirer, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said: “If we want higher spending for the military, then there is no obstacle in making that the priority, but always after education.
By investing in education, we can never go wrong.”
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV agrees that constitutional amendments should be made, but that the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China is not enough reason to amend the Constitution.
A former navy officer officer, Trillanes said: “A more prudent alternative is to peacefully resolve our differences with China and revive our relationship as economic partners and not (as) enemies.
“Besides, it is impossible to engage China in an arms race so increasing military spending may be a futile exercise.”
Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who was also a former Army colonel and is now vice chairman of the defense committee, agrees that constitutional amendments should be “a long-term solution” and that he does not see the initiative “happening immediately.”
He suggested that Malacañang “use its discretionary powers and present the legislature with urgent bills it wanted approved to deal with any national security concern,” and that this can be achieved through the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council.
Honasan said that the Palace can utilize “emergency powers to deal with any crisis (not necessarily involving Panatag Shoal), instead of waiting for constitutional amendments.”
He offered some suggestions:
– Presenting the Philippines’ demand for arbitration to international bodies governing sea-lanes
– A performance audit of all bilateral and multilateral agreements with countries to determine which ones would come to the Philippines’ aid in case of open hostilities
– Joint exploration and use of resources extracted from Scarborough Shoal and other disputed areas.
“These are options at our disposal but the most urgent really is modernization,” Honasan said.
While resorting to Charter change in order to augment the Philippines’ military deficiencies may be perceived by many as a tad bit extreme, the continuing saga of the unresolved territorial dispute between China and the Philippines is still a gigantic pebble in our country’s shoe. What happens when push comes to shove? The Philippine government, at the very least, needs to inform a concerned public about the possible scenarios.
(AJPress)
