Taiwan has been saying no to China. What about us?

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is obviously in over his head when it comes to the country’s security issues with China over the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Though admirable for his sense of patriotism (“PH can be cordial with other nations but not at the expense of sovereignty — Lorenzana,” 5/2/21), his comments only have the effect of raising eyebrows or dropping jaws, or both.

Lorezana’s credibility is shot through and through in the face of his own commander in chief’s oft-repeated pronouncements about our defense being “inutil” to stop China from its acts of aggression in the WPS. Whatever is left of our “sovereign rights” over those waters have been virtually waived by President Duterte, who has thrown himself into the clutches — and mercy — of Chinese President Xi Jinping. With Mr. Duterte exclusively dictating the terms of “engagement” with China, nothing there may be worth defending anymore.

Should Lorenzana just resign to preserve his honor and integrity? Absolutely. That sacrifice should send the message to all Filipinos — the ones he has sworn to serve and protect — that Mr. Duterte has got it all wrong: that war with almighty China is the only fate awaiting us if he said no to Xi. Democratic Taiwan has been saying no to communist China for decades and still lives to this day to continue saying no! How sad that Taiwan’s woman President Tsai Ing-wen seems to have more balls than our “macho” president.

ROSE ANNE BARTOLOME
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