While Filipinos deliberate amongst themselves over how “wise” or “unwise” it is to consider war against Islamic terrorists as even just an option to seriously consider, their friendly neighbour China has reportedly been beavering away in the islands of the West Philippine Sea building structures the size of Henry Sy’s Mall of Asia on these disputed terrirories.
The flaccid position of the Philippine government on this matter is to rely on the arbitration faculties of the United Nations to “compel” China to stand down — a bizarre “strategy” to take considering that it is quite evident that China has and will never ever consider that option.
The Philippines is completely helpless against its biggest strategic enemies.
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Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday remained confident the Philippine government can secure a conviction in former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s plunder case.
De Lima gave the assurance following Clooney’s decision to file a case last Feb. 26 before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), a body under the UN Commission on Human Rights, seeking to persuade the Philippine government to release Arroyo from hospital detention.
“We believe that the denial of Rep. Arroyo’s motion for bail was decided on the merits and that she will eventually be convicted or acquitted on the merits,” said De Lima.
Just the same De Lima wasted no time in adopting the usual response script of the Philippine government, which is to wash its hands off any accountability and pin the blame on someone else…
De Lima said it was not the Aquino administration’s fault that Arroyo has been denied bail privileges, pointing out that it was ultimately the call of the Sandiganbayan, which handles the plunder case.
There is now widespread confusion amongst Filipinos as to what the Philippine government under President BS Aquino really stands for beyond its mission to protect Uncle Peping’s Hacienda Luisita from subjection to agrarian reform. President BS Aquino in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) seems to be using the military as no more than a band of goons — dispatching them at a whim on sporadic tactical PR adventures while keeping it muzzled against the Philippines’ most menacing strategic enemies.
Indeed, China has so far been left to progressively annex the Philippines’ West Philippine Sea territories virtually unopposed while on the Mindanao front, the terrorist Moro Islamic Liberation Front leaning on the tacit legitimacy granted it by the Philippines’ “Central Government” (thanks to it being a party to President BS Aquino’s Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) scam) is practically sitting pretty as the AFP fights its “enemies” for it in a renewed “all-out” war against Islamic extremists. Even more astounding is the way the Philippines has turned a blind eye to the Malaysian government’s long-suspected role in abetting and aggravating Islamic terrorism in Mindanao with Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao even raising the possibility of the proposed Bangsamoro “nation” someday invoking the “self-determination” clause in the BBL to “secede from the Republic, or to ask Malaysia to incorporate it in its federation”.
It seems Filipinos’ selective deference to foreign influence is on exhibit at all levels of their dysfunctional society. The Philippine government has left the critical soundness of its long-term national security prospects in the hands of UN “arbitration” in the case of the China threat and on the Malaysian government in the case of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front terrorist spectre in Mindanao. All this while the fury of its prosecution arm bears down on a relatively minor inconvenience — a celebrity lawyer’s interest in the case of an unjustly-persecuted former president.
Setting priorities and applying the right perspective to the issues seems to be a fatal weakness of the Philippine government and Philippine society as a whole, and its citizens have for decades paid dearly for this chronic tunnel vision.
[Photo courtesy The Guardian.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
The Philippine government is not unlike the ostrich. Always on the run, always hiding from its enemies and though it can kick fiercely, it helps very little against the lions and hyenas that hunt it. It even buries its head in the sand, hoping whatever is threatening them leaves them alone.
This never works. Because while our government likes to bury its head in the sand, the reality is, its predators, China, Islamic groups, various factions that dot the Philippines are encircling around this bird, waiting for the right time to strike and devour this helpless bird.
The lion is China. The hyenas are the Jihadist groups, NPA and other groups seeking to carve a slice of the bird.
Waiting for the right time? they have been striking at us for decades, and pinoys are still interested in Jamich more than all that.,
in a society where leaders are placed into power by the “Jamich” voters. Politicians are just doing what every other smart politicians are doing, staying in power by giving the people what they want.
Wow! GRP is on a roll!
When, I wonder, will Aquino and his team realized that what this country need is to know that they have offensive and defensive plans regarding the terrorist Muslim and the invading China. They don’t need to detail it to everybody just show us actions and reliable resources not excuses. We want to know how focus and prepared they are in enriching and preserving what belongs to this country and its people. The threat is obviously there and on numerous opportunities given him to appease the people’s impatience and anger, all he could deliver is how he got fooled and lied upon, how he’s not responsible for anything that’s gone wrong in this country, that he was wronged by many people when what he’s supposed to be doing is to assure us. Instead of hearing him say something like what President Whitmore said in ID4, what he keeps on reasoning is “This person has lied to me… Why should I be responsible for everything…? I, too, have lost my parents… It’s this person’s fault!” We don’t need those craps! We want him to act as a leader, make up for their mistakes with immediate corrections, and show sincerity through good plans for justice, security, peace and progress every time he and his assigned committee open their mouth. So much time has wasted. Five years. And in his remaining year he still refused to man up. What more can you expect from the people under his leadership kung pinangangatawan niyang ganyan siya.
Unfortunately, the Aquino government is still in a coma. Still hell bent on getting things done their way where everyone else (including some of their allies) are already going to a different direction.
I guess this is what you get for electing such an indecisive person who was not even able to file a single bill in his many years in the legislature.
Talaga lang ha. Basta na lang makapag-comment kahit walang basehan. Heto basahin mo.
“What legislative initiatives are you proudest of, and why?
http://lilashahani.blogspot.com/2010/03/conversation-with-noynoy.html
Sorry, son. You just went FULL RETARD with what you wrote. 😛
That was back in 2013. Yellow Zombies like you are totally desperate.
its more RETARDED than that. allow me to quote from this 2010 election piece:
What legislative initiatives are you proudest of, and why?
* Congressional Oversight Committee (House Resolution No. 788): creating a Congressional Oversight Committee to check and study the use of intelligence funds by government agencies. This would ensure that allocated funds are actually used for the purposes they were originally intended for.
* The Budget Impoundment and Control Act (SB 3121): impoundment refers to the power of the President to refuse the release of funds appropriated by Congress. Regrettably, this power has been used and abused by the President and, as a result, Congress’ ability to check the President’s authority has been significantly emasculated. Noynoy filed this bill so the President would have to pass through Congress every time s/he decides to impound part of the budget.
commentary: the pres was soundly criticized because DAP really went against these legislative “initiatives” he was so proud of. hehe
Aquino simply collaborates with enemies…Aquino is afraid of China. Aquino is collaborating with the MILF/ISIS/Al Queda; the same way, as his grandfather , Benigno Aquino, Sr., collaborated with the Japanese Imperial Army.
In Aquino’s DNA, there is a GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, to collaborate with the country’s toxic enemies.
Aquino wants the UN to help him on China. At the same time, he derides the UN on his Human rights issue…this is the thinking of a madman…an insane man…
The chickens have come home to roost.After decades of depleting/stealing every single peso available to be stolen and completely ignoring the nations armed forces the Republic of the Philippines finds itself helpless to ward off the advances of the Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea.Completely relying on the USA’s good graces to protect them litte did the politicians realize what was under the sea and now that the untold riches have been discovered the Filipino must stand by helpless to do anything about the plundering of the nations potential wealth at the hands of the Chinese.
Too bad, or as they say in L.A. “Tough shit, kid!”.
The Philippines is a paradox. The land is rich, it is located at a convenient point for shipping and the scenery is drop-dead gorgeous at most areas (the ones that managed to keep its beauty)
And yet this is squandered by lack of proper development, mindless resource farming and crappy regulations. Hence the description;
“The Philippines is like a beggar sitting on a mountain of Gold.”
Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions. Don’t hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft! If you’ve got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.
Soon the Philippines will no longer exist. Ironically getrealphilippines may need to change its name to get real imperial manila or if that doesn’t exist anymore then probably get real 7000+ islands of shame.
One day, this so-called country that our forefathers fought for this so-called freedom will no longer be a country and they all will be rolling in their graves because of what their grandchildren did to it. This country pretty much is owned by other people who may not even be from this country.
We’d probably become another province of China with an Islamic state in the South and some other places will be up for grabs by other countries or most likely it would be left barren and will become a wonderland for all the dead people. There will be no shortage of war and dead people to bury.
Well at least you’d get your free Chinese citizenship and you’d get to learn their language for free at the expense of being treated like a no-class sub-human species. At least no more Pinoy Pride. It will however be replaced by some other “insert-your-bullshit-here” Pride. 😛
Seriously though, I wouldn’t want myself to die for a country like this. I mean, why the hell should I? So that the incompetent impotents can continue living their crappy lives crapping on people? Hell Fuck No.
Agree….unfortunately, blood shed unselfishly means nothing to people with treachery encoded in their dna.
I’ll bet all my money on that our crook politicians will be the first to evacuate (carrying all their stolen wealth) this country when a foreign invasion actually happens, and set up some sort of “government-in-exile”.