Mister Hotshot

5.05.2008

Arf! Arf!


Barking at two Asian bullies

Acting like a tough guy surrounded by menacing neighbors, the Philippines is now at loggerheads with two Asian bullies – Taiwan up north and Malaysia down south.

Over the weekend, Malacanang rejected a statement issued by Malaysia’s chief peace mediator that Manila is to blame for the stalled peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

At the same time, the Philippine government warned Taiwan not to create tension in the Spratly Islands following reports that Taiwan’s defense chief accompanied by a group of lawmakers would fly to the disputed islands this Wednesday, May 7, 2008.

All these threatening barks from our government’s officialdom come at a time when the country is reeling from continuing increases in the prices of fuel, rice and other basic commodities.

With the extent and gravity of our internal problems, adding external woes into our already volatile situation is an act of self-flagellation.

Actually, our officials’ warnings to our neighbors may be barks of self-preservation -- we may not be militarily at par with either Malaysia or Taiwan but we do have a loud, booming voice that can scare even the meanest of bullies.

One such voice is that of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Growling like a fierce Doberman, Miriam warned that the planned visit to the Spratlys this week of Taiwanese Minister of National Defense Tsai Ming-hsien accompanied by 30 to 40 legislators “would constitute a provocative act on the part of Taiwan.”

Then on Sunday, Chief Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol pointedly warned Taiwanese officials not to rock the boat in the Spratlys. “As much as possible there should be no disturbance. If there is, it’s going to be a big problem to all of us. They should remember that many nations are involved here: Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, China, the Philippines,” he said.

Meantime, Ramon Montenegro, head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, censured Othman Abdul Razak, the chief Malaysian mediator, for making “offensive” statements against the Philippine government that can worsen the peace and order problem in Mindanao.

Othman earlier told Manila to stop insisting on technical points that have snagged the long-awaited peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), referring to the controversial ancestral domain provision on the pending peace agreement.

Othman is pressuring the Arroyo government to immediately decide on the ancestral domain issue and sign a peace pact with the MILF, threatening to pullout the Malaysian peace-keeping group in Mindanao.

It remains to be seen whether the bullies in our neighborhood will be intimidated enough by our voice.

If they think we’re actually toothless and are only good in barking, we better be ready to bare our fangs – even if they’re just diplomatic fangs.

Lest we forget, there are the bigger Chinese panda and American bald eagle in the neighborhood which we can turn to in case the Malaysian orangutan and Taiwanese monkey start making unfriendly gestures.

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