Why does the Inquirer continue to raise fear among the populace, the latest being the headline, “PH airs concern over China radio warnings” (8/1/18)?
The picture caption indicates China has built a man-made island on Zamora (Subi) Reef in the Spratlys, without pointing out that Vietnam has actually occupied 48 features in the area, which doubled under the previous administration.
It was Vietnam and the Philippines that first built a military outpost in the South China Sea, way back in 1975, while China only started construction in 2016 after the United States was allowed to build facilities inside the Philippines through the Edca, or Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
The late nationalist senator Miriam Santiago criticized the agreement because it prohibited the Philippine government from conducting an inspection; in addition, the construction and utility had to be paid for by Filipino taxpayers.
Shouldn’t we ask the previous administration to be transparent about the deal that made the Philippines a frontline of US military adventurism? Have we forgotten how Japan and the United States made Manila the most destroyed city in World War II because of their geopolitics?
A 2015 US defense report to Congress showed that the United States had 10 times more aircraft carriers, nuclear warheads and military aircraft in the South China Sea than China, yet these hardly received the same reportage as the continued
“demonization” of China.
China is not stupid to let the US military roam the South China Sea. Did we forget that the United States stored nuclear weapons in the Philippines in direct violation of our Constitution? The United States even refuses to give the Philippines custody of convicted American murderers of Filipinos.
Don’t put the Philippines in the frontline of US proxy wars!
JOSEPHINE LUNA, sephineluna@outlook.com