“When the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department files a protest against China, China simply just ignores it”
I have been watching movies on Netflix where internet experts can trace and track anybody and where they can identify everybody.
While I watched those movies, I got to thinking, thank God, I am low-tech, unlike the GenZ generation who are all internet-savvy and high-tech with the internet, Santa Banana.
I believe that soon enough there would be no need for public libraries.
All high-tech people have to do is, with a tap of a finger, access anything in the world.
The sad part of the internet is there would be no need to subscribe to newspapers because everything is online.
I seem to believe that some newspapers are granting free subscriptions for 30 days, hopeful subscribers will continue burying newspapers.
Sadder still is soon there will not be any privacy in the world because through the internet with a tap of your finger you can have access to anybody, know where they live and even know where they go and what they do.
Santa Banana, no wonder the Central Intelligence Agency is capable of even tracking anybody.
The worst part of it all is that hackers can even know where you go, even abroad, having access to hotel and tourist spots’ CCTV cameras, and know when you return.
Thank God, my wife and I are very low tech (we don’t use cellphones and still rely on the traditional ways of going to the bank whenever we withdraw or deposit).
People now do everything online, including banking and shopping.
That makes life less interesting.
No wonder when I ask my son to buy me a shirt or even underwear, all he has to do is go online.
It has been said the printed word will be gone.
Does that mean even the Bible and the Koran will be out of print? Oh no!
I am now 96 years old, and I still do things the traditional way.
No wonder, they say that the GenZ Generation are missing a lot of things.
They no longer write love letters; they no longer visit girls they like; they no longer have the art of conversation.
Santa Banana, they have lost all the beautiful things my generation loved to do.
The internet has robbed us of not only our privacy, but the most beautiful things in life.
Yes, Santa Banana, the internet makes life easier, but it has not only robbed us of our privacy, but even things we love.
Oh, for the return of the old ways!
Stupid and idiotic
Santa Banana, there’s this report the Armed Forces of the Philippines sent some members of the AFP to train in China.
The same report added the Philippine National Police also sent some police to China to train with the Chinese Metropolitan Police!
Whoever did that should be canned! It is both stupid and idiotic.
At a time when the Philippines is having conflicting claims at the West Philippine Sea, particularly at Ayungin Shoal (The Thomas), the presence of Filipino members of the AFP and the PNP would be considered not only “a big slap on our face,” but also makes us laughable to the world.
It’s for this reason why whoever was responsible for this should not only be canned, but thrown in jail and the keys thrown to the polluted Pasig River, my gulay!
I believe the Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro should do something about this insanity.
Battle of Ayungin Shoal
Santa Banana, here we go again!
The government is again protesting the latest incident at the Ayungin Shoal, which is within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) ,when a Chinese Coast Guard vessel started shooting their water cannons at the two Philippine Coast Guard vessels out to resupply some military men on board the grounded Sierra Madre ship, in China’s continued harassment and bullying at the West Philippine Sea.
And, my gulay, all we can do is to protest to the high heavens and file again a diplomatic protest.
I can no longer count how many diplomatic protests we have filed with the continued harassment of Chinese Coast Guard vessels on our vessels whose only job is to replenish the supply to marine people on board the stranded Philippine ship.
The incident brings to the fore the problem of what can we do.
Sure, we won way back in 2016 that arbitral case we filed against the Chinese nine-dash line at the South China Sea, but China continues to ignore it because China claims it was not part of the arbitral case at the Hague.
Now, the Philippine Senate is again bent on filing a resolution protesting the continued bullying and harassment by China not only on Philippine Coast Guard vessels but on our fisherfolk who want to fish at the West Philippine Sea, because it’s their livelihood.
The Senate resolution would elevate the continued bullying and harassment by China to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in an attempt to let the whole community of nations know what China is doing.
The aim is to have the whole community of nations put enough pressure on China to respect the arbitral ruling at the Hague.
But, will China respect what the UNGA will decide? That’s the big question.
Our allies, led by the United States, Japan, Australia and some European nations have taken note of what China is doing to the Philippines, and still China continues.
At this point, I believe it’s time for President Marcos Jr. to personally try to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping to settle the matter.
This is the Asian way. There’s no substitute for a man-to-man settlement of issues.
The problem
There are suggestions BBM should appoint former President Duterte as special envoy to China considering that Chinese President Xi seems to have a special affection for Duterte by inviting him for a tete-a-tete conversation in Beijing, and why not?
If BBM in the company of Duterte could also have a tete-a-tete with Xi, this could go a long, long way.
And if there are certain conditions that Xi would like BBM to settle on this matter, well, Santa Banana, that’s now up to President Marcos Jr.
The problem is this: China claims the Ayungin Shoal is part of its territory at the China Sea and so whenever the Philippine Coast Guard or any vessel thereof within the area is “intruding” in its “territory” what can happen?
But, recall the BRP Sierra Madre vessel was grounded on that Shoal and that there are Filipino soldiers in it since government is trying to repair it and that every now and then, their food and other necessities have to be resupplied and have to go through the blockade of China’s Coast Guard and military vessels that often use water cannons and even transparent lights against Philippine vessels, Santa Banana!
And when the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department files a protest against China, China simply just ignores it.
Since we can’t go to war against China — that’s the problem my gulay !