IF a neighbor were to build a guard house in your backyard then mount a machine gun on its window, would you say, “We are confident that the gun is not aimed at us, because we’re friends?” Absolutely not.
Viewed from this perspective, the words emanating from the presidential spokesman’s mouth as he answered questions about the surface-to-water and surface-to-air missiles that China has installed on several Spratly islands that we own seem ridiculous to the point of being delusional.
Even more ludicrous is that the administration is making such statements when the world— through a United Nations tribunal—has acknowledged the Philippines’ ownership over Fiery Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef in the Spratly archipelago, and dismissed China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea as excessive.
Reacting to criticism that the administration is not doing enough to protect the country’s territorial integrity, President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at the United States and former President Benigno Aquino III for failing to stop China’s militarization of the region.
“The only country who could have stopped the Chinese… was America,” Duterte said in a speech in Davao City.
The President also mistakenly blamed Aquino for doing nothing after winning the case before the UN-backed arbitral tribunal—clearly forgetting the indisputable fact that the court decision was handed down after he (Duterte) came to power. In fact, it was Duterte who has done nothing with that decision, making it a point not to bring it up with the Chinese.
We do understand that the Philippines has a lot to gain from cordial relations with China, the lynchpin of Mr. Duterte’s policy to step softly when it comes to our conflicting territorial claims with Beijing.
To the extent that China has offered the country more loans and investments, it is clear that there are distinct advantages of such an approach. It is also clear that taking a bellicose approach—the path taken by the previous administration—has not worked very well for the Philippines.
But there must be a line that not even the most accommodating neighbor will not allow anyone to cross.
Since Mr. Duterte has been so vocal about his excellent ties with our northern neighbor, having once expressed his great affection for their president, it behooves him to use those special relations now to register our stringent opposition to the missiles they’ve put on our territory.
This is not what friends do. This is not what good neighbors do, regardless of whether or not they are aimed at us.