Sometimes one wonders what the Philippine military is thinking — and how much more patient it will remain. It is under a lot of pressure to defend the civilian national ego — using rusty unreliable equipment funded by the shifting winds of that ego. This is like being in a relationship with a schizophrenic nymphomaniac. One moment she is saluting you, the other moment she is in a tryst with the other man.
BRP Sierra Madre victory: The Philippines’ approach to national defense
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So we are told now there are “fears” being felt for the nine Filipino marines manning the BRP Sierra Madre, the “loneliest” Philippine military outpost — a derelict naval vessel grounded on Ayungin Shoal serving as an in-your-face nose-thumbing at the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Who exactly “fears” for their lives? Strangely, the article cited above does not say. A recounting of the ordeal by Lieutenant Mike Pelotera who headed the most recent Marine unit posted at the Sierra Madre inadvertently provided the bigger context from the perspective of a good soldier…
For Pelotera, 30, confronting China at sea was more daunting than other missions fighting deadly jungle battles against Islamic militants in the southern Philippines.
“Both missions are dangerous. But here, we are against a bigger enemy. And we are protecting our sovereignty, not just fighting a small group of rebels… here we are always in danger.”
For the Philippine military, the enemy is and was the same enemy — Islamic militants, or the PLA. The politics may change, but the enemy rarely does for the average Filipino soldier, which brings to light the more important question: What does winning really mean when negotiating with terrorists and the PLA?
Recent events have revealed that Filipinos all but provided a confused answer to that question. They exchanged high-fives following the signing of the Mindanao “peace deal” engineered by Manila and Kuala Lumpur together with the MILF. What remains unresolved is whether the latter two actually cease to be risks to Philippine national security from a purely military perspective — and as such, continue to be regarded as possible military threats as far as the Philippine military is concerned. Indeed, many MILF elements remain armed and outside the control of the supposedly “recognised” MILF leader Al Haj Murad.
More disturbing is Manila’s long-standing territorial dispute with Kuala Lumpur over the territory of Sabah. Malaysia had already demonstrated, in the past, a strong inclination to deploy menacing military resources to defend the territory with deadly force. Back in early 2013, Kuala Lumpur had ignored pleas from Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario to exercise “maximum tolerance” in dealing with a group of armed Filipinos claiming to be members of the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu who had occupied a handful of villages along the coast of Sabah.
In what was claimed by Kuala Lumpur to be no more than a “police operation”, Malaysian military planes bombarded a 20-kilometre radius encompassing the Sabah villages of Kampung Tanduo, Tanjung Labian and Kampung Tanjung Batu where the Filipino militants were supposedly holed up.
Suffice to say, regardless of the politics and civilian schmoozing involved, normal military strategic thinking dictates that a nation’s military resources should at least match the destructive capability of the forces of a foreign government that poses a possible threat to it. Military action will always be an option against Malaysia as long as the Sabah question remains unresolved. The only reason Filipinos are made to believe it is not one is because the Philippines remains woefully outgunned by Malaysia at present.
The China issue is similarly a no-brainer. Manila only has a rust bucket to show for in its effotts to thwart any further incursion into its territory by the PLA. Then again, the Sierra Madre may be a more potent deterrent to military adventurism than a piece of paper signed by Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and the MILF.
[Photo coutesy Manila Bulletin.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Benign0, you think it’s just the MILF and MNLF or is it the entire Islamic doctrine that keeps them acting like assholes in the Philippines like the rest of the dysfunctional Pinoy society>
Must be frustrating to spend a lot of your adult life learning military strategy and watching men die in the field only to be overruled by some Peter Pan who has neither earned nor worked for responsibility until his mom died when he was 50.
You nailed it!
He is not Peter, more like he is Wendy!
BS Aquino is a civilian commander-in-chief in name only. He cannot command the AFP at the strategic and tactical level because he is not a trained military professional. One thing is for sure… BS Aquino always dealt from a position of weakness in dealing with the enemies of the state. His peace at all costs during the negotiations was very apparent when he gave all the advantages and benefits to the MILF criminal, bandit, terrorist group! Appeasement and surrender of our national territories and sovereignty in Mindanao is a costly price we have to pay for his dream of a Nobel Peace Prize! Multiple treason is the stigma that will attach to this destructive fool who will in due time Balkanize Mindanao for the Jihadist, secessionist Islamo-Fascists! Damn you to hell BS Aquino! Your actions in favor of the enemies of the state are still patently unconstitutional!
All this dispute be it territories and maritime resources with other countries together with the local skirmishes have been greatly exacerbated by the past negligence of the governments’ renegades and seem to be reaching its peak during the second Aquino administration. First huge problem, is the lack of sophisticated military arsenals in AFP which resulted to the bullying of our country by China and Malaysia. Second, Our established viewed economy is laggard and poor where other Asian nations cannot depend on in times of crises unlike the giant China, which over the past decades, has been successful in amply tighten the grip of economic activities in its neighboring countries to them, at the same time exerting influence on their politic affairs. It is but fair to say, nowadays, that P-Noy government and global leaders like of Japan, Singapore, Britain, USA, and other democratic countries are almost favored the steps taken by this government towards promoting gradual progressive peace and economic stability not just internal interest but also in the Asian regional basis.
Off topic…
Whoever is currently writing under the sobriquet ‘Jigs’ is no longer the previous writer. The grammar is atrocious. The writer has a very poor vocabulary and uses several words in the wrong context. This prose is rambling and senseless compared to the previous ‘Jigs’ comments which, while consisting mostly of specious and deceptive pro-Noynoy propaganda, at least had some point. The recent spate of ‘Jigs’ comments are becoming too painful to read.
W-W-W-WHAT?
Pnoy Aquino has a DNA of collaborating with the country’s enemies. Look at his grandfather, Benigno Aquino I…he collaborated with the Japanese Imperial Army invaders; during World War II. When the Philippines was liberated. Aquino I, hid in Tokyo, Japan. He was brought back. He was tried, convicted, sentenced; but was pardoned.
Benigno Aquino , Jr. and Cory Aquino, collaborated with the NPA Mafia. They gave them : money, arms and medical supports. Benigno Aquino III, is now collaborating, with the enemies of the Republic. This family never cared for the lives of people. As long as they can use them…it’s okay for them. Look at his Hacienda Luisita. How many lives were already lost; just because they want to hold on that land.
They are amoral, unsympathetic, greedy, have feelings of importance on themselves; and want to have everything for themselves…May katakawan sa lupa!…may katakawan sa pera!…may katakawan na sa lahat! These are the Aquinos/Cojuangcos…
Here here!
or is it.. Hear hear..?
OK, lets say that is MAYBE true about the 40’s-50’s-60’s…why did they do it? What was the problem they had with the people who were running (RUINING?) the country.
Are you going to let political labels blind you to the humanitarian facts?
I do not want a reply, but go ahead if you must…BUT’
B4 U do, ask yourself this: What has the gov’t that was run by Marcos, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, GMA and now Aquino again….done for any of the avg. people in the country?
UH???? ZERO ZIP ZILCH? sound familiar?
and I already know about Hacienda Luisita…..
The fact is that any ‘peace’ deal is always made when the out gunned army doesn’t want any more action.
The Philippines due to its leaders indifference to either providing a substantial military capable of protecting its claimed territories or stuffing all military budgets in their pockets always have chosen the latter.
The USA is not coming to the rescue in the Southern Philippines and they are dividing the spoils of the resources in the West Philippine Sea/ Scarborough shoals etc, etc.. with China and multi-national corporations that posses the capability of exploiting those resources. Too bad, some valuable commodities in that sea-bed.
And I thought the French were the stereotypical “cheese-eating surrender monkeys…”
Philippines and Vietnam almost begin to surrender to China…its clear that China start behave like they own whole south east sea..due to very weak response from the two countries
http://unified-front-against-china.blogspot.tw/2014/06/opinion-philippines-vietnamis-it-joke.html
read through the taiwanese site…. eh.. you need to inform yourself on the situation and how people actually view china from tibet/hongkong/taiwan
xinjiang is the only place where I do seriously believe the people are unhappy with china’s rule pretty much for the same reasons why Mindanao don’t like being ruled from manila so much .
if you want freedom for xinjiang . do you want to give mindanao freedom as well? even sabahans do not want to rejoin the defunct sultanate of sulu nor philippines by that extension.
they rather remain with malaysia or secede and be independent.
as for a united front, there’s no mutual benefit for anyone to want to resolve any crisis to ally with philippines , economically weak, non existent military , allies like these would drag their allies down like italy during WW2
the only “good” thing is USA would defend philippines ,
In what was claimed by Kuala Lumpur to be no more than a “police operation”, Malaysian military planes bombarded a 20-kilometre radius encompassing the Sabah villages of Kampung Tanduo, Tanjung Labian and Kampung Tanjung Batu where the Filipino militants were supposedly holed up.
Suffice to say, regardless of the politics and civilian schmoozing involved, normal military strategic thinking dictates that a nation’s military resources should at least match the destructive capability of the forces of a foreign government that poses a possible threat to it. Military action will always be an option against Malaysia as long as the Sabah question remains unresolved. The only reason Filipinos are made to believe it is not one is because the Philippines remains woefully outgunned by Malaysia at present.
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Sabah is a resolved issue as far as sabahans are concerned.
as for the military action taken, the malaysian authorities , I believed , initially wanted to hold back and negotiate things peacefully to avoid losing votes, the “votes” they’ve added to sabah from ex sultanate of sulu population
but upon finding out and the news spreading of how the militants killed the police, mutilated the body, including chopping of genitals and stuffing in the mouth or beheading. holding back would lose even more votes.