Much ado about nothing

It’s better for us not to make a gigantic case of this debris incident. We won’t gain anything from it.

What's this hullabaloo about debris falling from the sky and landing in the West Philippine Sea? Why are we making an international fuzz about an insignificant matter such as retrieving debris which has no value to us? Does the Philippine Navy want to sell the debris to the junkyard where they belong? What's so upsetting about debris being retrieved by the Philippine Coast Guard and being taken by its owner country (China) through its own coast guard?

This incident started with a report from WesCom that Naval Station Emilio Liwanag or NSEL observed by way of a long-range camera a floating object, which appeared to be debris, near the vicinity of the waters of the Pag-Asa cays. There have been previous instances whereby debris fell into our seas, apparently coming from some rockets launched by China, so this is not the first time such an occurrence happened.

The NSEL team proceeded to the area for an ocular inspection, retrieved the floating object, tied it securely to its boat, and towed it back to its naval station. As it was towing back the debris to NSEL, the WesCom, in its report stated:

"However, as the NSEL was towing the floating object, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel with bow number 5203 approached their location and subsequently blocked their pre-plotted course twice.

CCGV5208 then deployed its Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat. "

"The said CCGV RHIB forcefully retrieved said floating object by cutting the towing line attached to the NSEL rubber boat. CCGV RHIV then towed it back to CCGV5203."

In a statement issued by China, it denied the claim of the Philippine Navy that its coast guard cut the towing line between the Filipino navy vessel and the floating object. It, likewise, denied the Philippine Navy's claim that it blocked the latter's boat and forcefully retrieved the object. It stressed that the NSEL team returned the said object after a "friendly consultation." In its reply, the Department of National Defense maintained that the subject object was "rudely" taken by the Chinese Coast Guard.

The Department of Foreign Affairs sought clarification from China over the incident. It sent a note verbale citing the WesCom report. It reiterated the Philippine Government on the issue affirming its support regarding the claim of its naval forces.

What is crystal clear is that the towed floating object is debris and obviously came from one of China's launched rockets to outer space. In other words, the debris is not ours; it belongs to China. It just happened it fell into our seas. It's the same seas that China is claiming to be hers as it does not recognize the arbitral ruling recognizing our rightful claim to it by the International Arbitration Court.

Forced as well as rude incursions by China on the West Philippine Sea have been the subject of more than a hundred diplomatic protests from our side. Apparently, to every protest we make, there is either no response or it disputes our narratives on the subject matter of the protest.

Those assertions on the respective claims between the conflicting parties have not affected our friendly relations with them. While we may not have the means to implement the arbitral ruling at this time, as even the United Nations and our western allies are not keen on enforcing it, perhaps for fear that its forced enforcement of the arbitral award could only trigger a nuclear war with no winner, we have made a pragmatic pivot away from it and focus instead on other areas that we can mutually agree on.

Enhancing our trade relations with China is only one of them. So are sharing of intelligence information in our fight against international terrorism and piracy, cultural exchanges on arts and education, learning from its infrastructure and technological expertise, and getting loans with low interest. All of these will improve our diplomatic relations with this neighboring superpower.

Let us not forget that at the height of the pandemic, China was one of those who came to our succor by giving us thousands of free personal protective equipment for our health workers and citizens, as well as vaccines. It also funded some infrastructure projects and donated much-needed aid in times of calamities.

Historically, the Chinese people, being Asians like us, are easier to deal with than our distant allies, who apart from their differing cultures and superiority complex, have invaded and subjugated us.

It's better for us not to make a gigantic case of this debris incident. We won't gain anything from it. It's too petty. It's enough that we tell China that friends do not treat each other rudely; that its government should caution its coast guard to observe elementary courtesy in the high seas, and that we are not in the least interested in their debris. They should tow all of them to their stations as soon as they drop from the skies. But they should observe ethics in retrieving their objects, for even enemies, and we are not one of them, show respect to each other, even in times of war.

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