China misreads Manila's silence over stuck frigate

Unstuck at last, the Chinese frigate that ran aground a Philippine reef hightailed it to port Sunday. Manila loudly could have protested the warship’s trespassing in the Palawan Sea. But it didn’t. So Beijing should be thankful.

China showed no gratitude, though. Instead it flaunted how it got Cambodia to do its bidding against the Philippines last week. Such boorishness displays anew China’s true nature as neighborhood bully.

Beijing should not misread Manila’s silence as timidity. Diplomacy is thinking twice before saying nothing. By not filing a diplomatic note, Manila spared China’s military from shame. The Chinese frigate No. 560 boastfully has been leading patrols in the West Philippine (South China) Sea. In beaching at Hasa-Hasa Shoal 60 miles off Palawan, it revealed China’s unfamiliarity with waters it baselessly claims as its. Too China’s vaunted navy appears to not possess reliable depth-perception gear. And the frigate captain’s incompetence showed in navigating an area without studying first. It had to take six rescue vessels to un-wedge his mighty warship.

By keeping quiet Manila refrained from rubbing in all this. Does it have to point up what the world’s navies already are noting? What is to be gained from further humiliating the bully neighbor who climbed over the fence to steal fruits, only to get his breeches caught on a tree branch?

But Beijing’s Communist Party jingoists couldn’t help themselves. As Frigate 560 double-timed for home, they gloated over Manila’s setback in last week’s annual ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting. The English-language party mouthpiece Global Times made it look like the ASEAN does not heed the Philippines’ rants against Chinese intrusions. Since it does not have the diplomatic or military influence to back up its cries, the paper said, Manila should shut up.

The Philippines had brought up with ASEAN its two-month standoff at Panatag Shoal, which China is claiming as well. This should have been stated in a joint communiqué, as all agenda are, at the close of ASEAN confabs. But host Cambodia, a beneficiary of accelerated Chinese trade and aid, refused to include it. Supposedly ASEAN by policy sidesteps bilateral feuds. Not even Manila’s pointing out that an ASEAN statement once mentioned Cambodia’s border tiffs with Thailand could make Phnom Penh budge. For the first time in its 45-year history, the ASEAN failed to issue a closing bulletin. The Philippines looked isolated, although majority of the ten members had wanted the Panatag row written in.

By rubbing this in, bully China is bragging that it can get its way with sovereign member-states of ASEAN. It thinks nothing of disconcerting Cambodia by picturing the latter as an obedient vassal. It also forgets that Phnom Penh will not be the ASEAN venue next year. Till then, the Philippines can build up strength. For, diplomacy is also the art of saying “Nice doggie!” till you can pick up a rock.

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Congress will investigate the production of substandard e-passports by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. In seeking the probe, Agham party Rep. Angelo Palmones fears a national security breach. Terrorists may be using the defective travel documents to conceal their true identities.

Valenzuela City Rep. Magi Gunigundo and Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares reportedly want the inquiry to include the cost of the e-passports. BSP bids and awards committee chairman Enrique Domingo and vice Vincent Solido will be called to explain the flaws.

The BSP makes the e-passport inside pages for the Department of Foreign Affairs. The covers, embedded with microchips containing the holders’ basic information, are subcontracted to Oberthur of France for P900 million.

Overseas workers and frequent travelers complained about the low quality. Allegedly the cover disintegrates when removed from the plastic case commonly sold outside the DFA consular offices. Inside pages fall off when immigration officers swipe the e-passport in validation machines. (See Gotcha, 9 July 2012) Holders are subjected to questioning and delayed from flights. The BSP takes two weeks to repair e-passports returned to the DFA.

The DFA has acknowledged the reports but calls them isolated. Still Alagad Rep. Rodante Marcoleta says it merits examination.

Oberthur, through local partner Sinophil, bagged a P900-million contract in 2008 to produce the e-covers at $5.72 apiece. With the deal expiring late this year, the BSP held a bidding last February in which Oberthur-Sinophil quoted only $2.59 apiece, or less than half.

The BSP did not flinch that the subcontractor had been making a killing from 10,000 passports a month in the past four years. Or that the company had a three-month delivery backlog.

Oberthur-Sinophil was disqualified in April only after failing twice to submit samples that complied with the BSP’s standards. Its cloth-paper material and gold-ink printing were deemed below par.

Still, last month the BSP placed an “emergency order” of 300,000 e-covers from Oberthur-Sinophil. The price: $1,716,000, or the old price of $5.72 each.

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Just off the press is the book, The Four Chambers of My Heart, by Camilo I. Porciuncula, the oldest cardiologist at the Philippine Heart Center.

The autobiography dwells on Porciuncula’s four devotions: as heart doctor, educator, artist and gentleman farmer. Turning 80 today, Porciuncula is called “Doctor Doctor” because of his two degrees. He is a Doctor of Medicine and has a PhD in Physiology and Biomedical Engineering. He teaches both medicine and engineering. He paints, plays the violin and piano, and acts on stage. Weekends he plants medicinal herbs. He once served as head of the PHC management committee.

There must be a lesson somewhere there about longevity.

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Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).

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