Rebels without a cause

It’s been quite a few chilling days for many of us who continue to monitor what is happening in the South China Sea, more so around the world. Let’s face it, everywhere we look, we seem to be dealing with a lot of tensions. Yet, and somehow, amidst all our troubles, we see a few silver linings, with brave hearts determined to keep the peace.

Personally, I am rendered speechless by how some people respond to our situation in the West Philippine Sea and despite the dangers, choose to rile us up further with more fear and anxiety and without firm action nor supportive or sufficient information for us to rely on. In truth, before such tensions became more intense in the recent weeks, I would ask around about sentiments and being the curious observer that I am, whether they were more inclined to China or the United States, I got varying opinions, with only one proper answer which came from a high-ranking official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who humbly yet proudly answered – I am pro Philippines. With that I felt I had hope, knowing that when one says he stands for his country, ultimately, what he stands for is peace and development.

That same evening, I said to myself, at all cost, we must be committed to peace as the effects of conflict are far reaching, shatters lives and impedes development. With all of that said, the question then that follows is whether or not we fully understand what it means to be pro Philippines. I suppose this is where the disconnect begins, especially when people participate in Sinophobia and the like, considering that hundreds of Filipino citizens, including our own national hero, are of Chinese descent.

I don’t really know if I should say that we are at a crossroads on our understanding of what it fully means to be a warrior as compared to a war freak. As far as I am seeing, there seems to be some kind of misconception that beating the drum of war makes us stronger and more capable in defending our nation when in fact, humility is the place in which we ought to stand, the place where we understand our position in the larger order of things, as it is what helps us all win the battle.

Such was the case with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo. For starters, on June 21, 2024, at a press conference, Bersamin pointed to a de-escalation of tensions as we engage with China. This happened after an incident that had involved our Philippine Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard that took place on June 17, when such events caused a pingpong moment of de-escalation to re-escalation then back to de-escalation as ES Bersamin entered the scene like a mature adult trying to win peace.

I can’t help but remember my grandfather, a WW2 guerilla war hero who, on many occasions, spoke of always doing what we must to win peace, as this should always be the end goal. In other words, with this example, mature civilized adults do not fan the fire and instead, they talk. A few days later, the Executive Secretary met with the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines to talk about strengthening relations between China and the Philippines on the issue of transnational crimes and those linked to POGO.

On the other hand, the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Balilo reported to media a few days ago that the China Coast Guard via radio offered help for Filipino fishermen whose boat exploded in Bajo de Masinloc. This statement came after the PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela’s conflicting reports with regard to the actions of China.

To further expand on the matter, Balilo expressed that he just relied on the report of the captain of the BRP Sindangan that help was offered during the radio conversation; however, it was declined. I admire Admiral Balilo for speaking up like a true peace warrior with a good head on his shoulders, as it was clearly very evident in his own words that this was his main purpose.