EDITORIAL - Pnoy should remove BRP Sierra Madre

A photo taken by Kyodo News Service of Japan shows a rusty old Philippine Navy ship — the BRP Sierra Madre — sitting forlornly on one of the shoals in the Spratly Islands after it ran aground there in 1999.

The great temptation had been to call the ship a derelict. But technically it is not. For a derelict is invariably defined as something already abandoned. And despite what the photograph suggests, the BRP Sierra Madre is far from abandoned. 

On the contrary, and as incredible as it may seem, the rusty old hulk is the forward base of the Philippine Navy in the Spratlys. A detachment from the Philippine Navy has holed out in tetanus trap to project and protect our national interests in that disputed chain.

It is virtually impossible to convey to the reader a mental picture of what the subject of this piece is all about, so it is best that you check out the Kyodo website or Google the BRP Sierra Madre.

In the meantime, however, President Aquino is urgently sought to please, please, order the prompt removal of the stranded ship and stop using it as an outpost of Philippine military might because, quite frankly, it is very embarrassing.

The Kyodo photo has already made its rounds in the world and it is definitely not in the best interest of Philippine efforts to protect its sovereignty to be associated, no matter how remotely, with that ship.

Publishing the photo and captioning it as the forward outpost of the Philippine Navy cannot but tear whatever is left of our dignity to shreds. Unless we remove this shameful model of Philippine military might, we will lose whatever is left of our self-respect.

The other claimants to this disputed area not only will not take us seriously but, worse, they might end up laughing behind our backs. Navy ships often have long and proud histories. It is a betrayal of this old ship’s honor to display it before the whole world as a big fat joke.