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By Neal H. Cruz
We were forwarded a letter from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco), which is Taiwan’s unofficial consulate in the Philippines, reacting to our column of May 27 (“Fish is at root of rows with Taiwan, China”) on the diplomatic row between the two countries. The row stemmed from the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman in a Taiwanese fishing vessel that, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), tried to ram its ship in the waters around the Batanes islands. In the letter, Teco denied that the Taiwanese are harassing overseas Filipino workers in their country.
Posted: June 6th, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Amando Doronila
Prior to the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman whose vessel was intercepted poaching in Philippine waters off the Batanes islands on May 9, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recorded at least 19 incursions into this area since 2006. The incursions of Taiwanese vessels suspected of illegal poaching have made the northern waters a virtual [...]
Posted: May 30th, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Randy David
To my last column on the current conflict between the Philippines and Taiwan, a country with whom, until recently, we have had only friendly relations, a reader from Canada has written a most thoughtful rejoinder. He wishes to remain anonymous, but, with his permission, I will quote from the rich account he has shared of his experience as a former official of the Canadian department of fisheries in charge of enforcing maritime fishing boundaries. His job entailed protecting his country’s fishery from poachers coming from other countries.
Posted: May 22nd, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Randy David
In an ideal world, how would the recent shooting by the Philippine Coast Guard of a Taiwanese fishing boat, which resulted in the killing of one of the fishermen, have been handled? I think that both Filipino and Taiwanese authorities might have immediately sought one another to express grave concern over the incident, and to offer cooperation to ascertain the facts. Both would have drawn assurance from the fact that, despite national differences, a legal order was in place and could be trusted to work.
Posted: May 18th, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Featured Columns,Featured Headline,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
Walk softly and carry a big stick. Theodore Roosevelt’s dictum of practical diplomacy works only if a big stick is handy, like a powerful navy that has just circled the world. In the matter of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the Philippines does not wield anything that can be mistaken for a [...]
Posted: April 25th, 2013 in Editor's Pick,Editorial | Read More »
The Philippine government has been accused of “double standard” in dealing with the American and Chinese intrusions in the Tubbataha Reefs (“Gov’t accused of double standard in US, Sino intrusions,” Inquirer, 4/11/13).
Posted: April 15th, 2013 in Inquirer Opinion,Letters to the Editor | Read More »
By Amando Doronila
Evidence of Malaysian atrocities in Kuala Lumpur’s “search and annihilate” military operations against fleeing followers of the Sultan of Sulu continues to mount in the wake of Philippine naval interceptions of refugees from Sabah.
Posted: March 14th, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Conrado de Quiros
You’d imagine it was happening in Syria or Afghanistan or some war-torn part of the world. That comes from the stories being told by Filipinos who have been horribly maltreated or whose kin have been shot to death by Malaysian security forces in Sabah. In fact that place has now become as war-torn, with all its cruelties, as those other parts of the world.
Posted: March 11th, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Amando Doronila
In just 10 days, the standoff in Sabah has spiraled from a firefight between Malaysian security forces and followers of the sultan of Sulu into a war of extermination mounted by both the Philippine and Malaysian governments, conspiring with each other.
Posted: March 4th, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Solita Collas-Monsod
The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, now headed by Jamalul Kiram III, who can trace his lineage at least 500 years back (the sultanate was founded in 1465)—how many Filipinos can go back that far?—still strikes me as a tragic institution, the victim of greed, opportunism, and indifference particularly during the second half of its history.
Posted: February 22nd, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Featured Columns,Featured Headline,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
The government’s decision to challenge China’s expansive claims to the South China Sea by invoking the arbitration provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) is both unexpected and overdue. Many simply assumed that the government’s legal option (its so-called third track of resolving the conflict in territorial and maritime claims, after political means and diplomatic measures) meant filing a case before the right court; in this case, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, or Itlos, in Hamburg, Germany. At the same time, the clear and compelling arguments for the Philippine case fed a growing impatience for legal action; why was the Department of Foreign Affairs taking so long?
Posted: January 28th, 2013 in Editor's Pick,Editorial,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
It has been announced that two concerts will be given by the Orchestra Nipponica Tokyo to mark Japan-Philippine friendship and the 40th year of Asean-Japan Cooperation. This is being done at the invitation of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).
Posted: January 28th, 2013 in Inquirer Opinion,Letters to the Editor | Read More »
