Let us relax

Philippine Navy chief Vice Admiral Ferdinand Golez, reacting to the Chinese deployment of a naval patrol boat to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, said: “This should not cause us any alarm. Let’s relax.”

But of course let us relax. There is no point in getting agitated over something that the Philippines can do absolutely nothing about. To get all het up is a futile exercise. It will only add to the wrinkles brought on by the economic crisis.

The Philippines does not have a navy to speak of, if by navy we mean fighting ships that can at least make dying in defense of our country an honorable proposition. But if all we have are outriggers, going to certain death over an indefensible situation is foolish.

I therefore doff my non-existent hat to Vice Admiral Golez, probably the only vice admiral in the whole universe without a fighting ship, for his uncanny candor in dealing with the situation. Yes, let us relax.

Under different circumstances, it would be criminal for anyone to be so cavalier about a potentially explosive situation. But it is not the fault of Golez that he should inherit a navy that does not have a fighting ship.

It is the fault of a long succession of leaders who felt that the overriding priorities of their respective administrations ought to be the enrichment of their own selves, or at least the attainment of their own interests.

This is not the first time that the Philippines stands to lose a part of its sovereign territory to foreign claimants. For all intents and purposes, we have already lost Sabah. Even if we do have a foothold on some of the Spratlys, we are bound to lose them too.

We are bound to lose them because we do not have that kind of pride and dignity as a nation as to actually struggle and sacrifice to find the means to be able to defend our country from foreign aggression.

If you are still not convinced about the kind of attitude we have adopted in so far as our obligation to defend ourselves, just listen to how our officials responded to the actions of China in the Spratlys: “We will seek the help of our allies,” they said.

Allies? What allies? And even if we do have allies, what kind of foolishness is it to entrust the defense of our country to our allies while those of our own who are entrusted with our own defense have nothing better to do than say “Let us relax.”

 What friend, partner or ally will come rushing to help us when we cannot even help ourselves? And if by “ally” we mean the United States, then perish the thought because unless the interests of the US are directly under threat, there is no way it is going to help.

How the United States treated Filipino World War II veterans should be an instructive lesson to us all. When, after decades of ignoring our veterans, the US finally decided to pay them a pittance for risking their lives in America’s interest, it was because it needed to.

The American economy is in shambles. That is why the US government needed to prime it with a “stimulus” package worth billions of dollars. Part of the package is the payment for the veterans.

Hitting two birds with one stone, the US sees the veterans spending their money like crazy before life runs out on them while at the same time finally addressing the issue of benefits for those who fought for America (the Philippines was a mere colony at the time).

So, all things considered, why indeed should the Philippines worry. Let the chips fall where they may. Bluster gets us nothing when we have nothing. And waiting for help that is not forthcoming will only be disappointing. So, like Vice Admiral Golez said, “Let us relax.”