EDITORIAL - In inglorious company

The Philippines should not have joined China in its boycott of the Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremonies in Oslo last Friday. China has a reason for boycotting but the Philippines does not.

There was no way for China to go. The awardee, pro-democracy dissident Liu Xiaobo, is under detention in Beijing, with prospects for his freedom now grown even dimmer by the award. It simply would not be in the interest of China to show up.

But the Philippines? What was our interest in joining China? Was it to make amends for the botched August 23 hostage-taking incident in Manila in which several Hong Kong tourists were killed? No matter what we do, nothing can bring back the lives of those who needlessly died.

The Philippines could not have been trying to curry favors from China as a trading partner. While China may have emerged as a new economic superpower, the economy does not thrive on Chinese trade alone. Various other trading partners contribute to our overall economic health.

Were we trying to cozy up to China over the thorny issue of the Spratlys? If so, then we have just undertaken an exercise in futility. As the only superpower among the claimants, China can do, as it has done, what it wants in the disputed islets, kissing its behind notwithstanding.

Whatever the reason, joining the boycott did not result in something beneficial for the Philippines, from whatever source. On the contrary, the stupid move only drove us even lower in the eyes and estimation of the world.

We could not have found ourselves in worse company. In addition to China and ourselves, the other boycotters are Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Serbia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Egypt, Sudan, Ukraine, Cuba and Morocco.

In an attempt to explain the unexplainable stupidity, the Philippines said it was not necessary to be represented in Oslo. It is not necessary to eat hotdog on a sidewalk either. The Philippines is truly clueless in a maze.