THE current standoff with the Chinese over the Spratleys at Panatag Shoal will get worse before it gets better. What are we to do as a country and as a people? Scanning my commentaries over the years on situations like this, I came upon a piece I wrote in June 1997 about China bullying us over Scarborough Shoal.
Except for the size of the Philippine population (70 million then) and the names of Gen. Arnulfo Acedero and Bill Clinton, who were AFP chief of staff and US president, respectively, at the time, this column might as well have been written today. My stand on the issue of dealing with the Chinese Bully remains the same.
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I was set on making some pretty sarcastic remarks about Gen. Arnulfo Acedero’s assertion that “when push comes to shove” his forces are prepared to defend Scarborough Shoal despite the AFP’s “poor military capability.”
But, on reflection, what else could he have said?
Could he have conceded that a country dwarfed like David by a Goliath is incapable of defending itself and must, therefore, turn tail and run?
Despite all the jeering from the bleachers, Scarborough Shoal isn’t simply about an insignificant piece of rock in the vast ocean but about national pride.
Since we have chosen to put the chip on our shoulder and have warned Chine that we’re willing to fight if the chip is knocked off, we have no alternative but to put up our dukes.
Of course, we can’t reasonably expect the chief of staff to intimidate our giant neighbor with the AFP’s outmoded military hardware—the equivalent of a slingshot—but our soldiers’ resolve to defend and die for our country must not be taken for granted.
For all that has been said about and against our armed forces, including charges of dishonesty and downright criminal conduct, cowardice in the face of a foreign enemy is something that they have rarely, if ever, been accused of.
And then again, why should our armed forces alone bear the burden of defending what is ours? What about the rest of us?
Remember the lyrics of our national anthem? “Sa manlulupig di ka pasisiil…Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi, ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo.”
When I was young, the English version of that line went, “Ne’er shall invaders trample thy sacred shore…But it is glory ever when thou art wronged for us thy sons to suffer and die.”
We may not be the most efficient people in the world. Our traffic system stinks. Our bureaucracy is graft-ridden. Many of our values are questionable. But, to paraphrase Gen. Acedero, “when push comes to shove” we have always risen to the occasion.
As a matter of fact, cowardice is a trait that we, as a people, have never admitted to. In our long history, we have always been outmanned and outgunned. Through the centuries of Spanish colonization, the years of the Filipino-American war and the brief and bloody Japanese occupation, we have always faced up to superior forces and have courageously taken on overwhelming odds.
Sure, we’ve lost more often than we’ve won. This is reflected in our national holidays. We commemorate gallantry in defeat for lack of victories to celebrate.
We’re so used to being “bloody but unbowed” that even when it’s the enemy who’s bloodied, we are unsure if the occasion is worth celebrating.
I don’t recall our ever commemorating the victory of Lapu-Lapu over Magellan or the triumph of Filipino forces against the American occupation army in Balangiga, Samar.
Long before anyone insisted on having Lapu-Lapu appropriately honored in Cebu, Magellan was basking in all the glory. And to this day, we still refer to the incident in Samar as the “Balangiga massacre” and to the Filipino soldiers as “insurrectionists,” despite the fact that they were fighting a war against foreign invaders.
Even the centennial of the declaration of independence is about a brief spark of glory snuffed out by another long episode of colonial domination.
Now, having said that about our ability to muster courage in the face of certain defeat, I think our leaders should start taking a serious look at our military capabilities – or, more accurately, incapability.
Looking to big brother America for help when the neighborhood bully comes rampaging may seem convenient and pragmatic. But it isn’t something we can be proud of.
Besides, anyone who thinks that the US will come rushing to our aid if China kicks our butts over a piece of contested real estate is hopelessly naïve.
The economic and political stakes in U.S.-China relations are so big that President Clinton can’t even afford to take away the “most favored nation” status from China, despite noises being made by the American Congress.
The harsh fact is that, if we can’t learn to defend ourselves, we have no business asking others to defend us.
Besides, who says we’re utterly helpless? Why should a country of 70 million people be taken for granted?
If we begin to regard our entire citizenry as the source of our strength, and not just those who choose to serve in the military, we may be pleasantly surprised at the kind of defensive muscle we can flex.
If we seriously work on building a citizen army, the way the Swiss and Israelis have, we might even realize some benefits that we have otherwise been taking for granted.
Like imbuing our people with discipline and patriotism, not to mention physical fitness.
As a matter of fact, if we mandatorily train our youth for military service, we may be able to build a big enough reserve to displace the rogues in our regular armed services and create a force that is truly committed to “duty, honor, country.”
The low-key confrontation with China over Scarborough Shoal isn’t the bogeyman who will go away if we close our eyes. Over time, the situation can escalate. In fact, when we open our eyes, we might find ourselves staring at Vietnam and other covetous Asian neighbors, as well.
Scarborough Shoal and the Spratleys and, oh yes, Sabah, won’t be the only occasions for more powerful countries to threaten to kick the sand in our eyes.
That will happen again and again as long as we continue to look like the skinny guy on the beach.
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