Dear President Duterte,
Diplomatic negotiation is best done from a position of military strength. We can achieve credible defensive capability without the huge expense of new modern F27 fighter jets. We should position surface-to-air missiles with accompanying military radar on the coastlines of Palawan, Pangasinan, and Ilocos Norte. The bases should be protected by tanks.
The existing South China Sea airfields do not bother me. In the event of an aggression, we direct cannon fire onto the runways. We do not even have to confront an aggressor frontally. It will be expensive for them to fly all the way from the mainland.
Sir, we are not weak if we make smart use of the resources that we can get from our friends.
JAIME C. BALINGIT, MD,
UP Reserve Officers
Training Corps 1973