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Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. Photo: GMA Network
hy won't Foreign affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin bring up China's illegal occupation of Philippine reefs, shoals, and banks, in the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA)? We find this puzzling. In fact, since the country won the unanimous decision in 2016 from the United Nations-sanctioned arbitral tribunal in the Hague, the Duterte administration has steadfastly refused to raise the issue in any multilateral forum such as ASEAN or the UN General Assembly.
Three senior Philippine luminaries, retired Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio, former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario, and ex-ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, want the country to bring up the issue at the next UN General Assembly, which starts in mid-September. As a UN member, the Philippines has the right to bring to the attention of the General Assembly any "act of aggression" by a foreign state so that it "can consider the matter with a view to making recommendations to Members for collective measures to maintain or restore international peace and security," as UN documents note.
The online news site Rappler quotes Carpio, Del Rosario, and Morales, stating that "if we do not help ourselves, how can we expect other countries to help us?" They have a point. How can the Philippines expect other countries to come running to our rescue and drive the Chinese from the islands they now illegally occupy when we refuse to exhaust all avenues open to us. Within Asia alone, numerous countries would like to see China's nine-dash line claim discredited once and for all.
Locsin has been talking tough lately, warning China to "expect the worst" should its naval exercises spill over into Philippine territory. However, Beijing knows that "the worst" Locsin or the Philippines can muster is nothing to be concerned about. Given the control many believe China has over the country, they suspect Beijing might even be orchestrating Locsin's tough stance. After all, being tough on China plays well locally, without posing any real threat to Beijing—a win-win situation all around.
On the other hand, accusing China of aggression at the UNGA is an entirely different matter for Beijing. Even if the Philippines can muster only a few allies, that number could snowball over time and derail Beijing's South China Sea ambitions. Seen in this light, Locsin's refusal to bringing the issue before the General Assembly is telling.
As we noted in previous editorials, The Duterte administration has vacillated back and forth while playing its cards close to the vest. Thus, it isn't easy deciphering where it stands. However, if the administration refuses to bring its concerns regarding China before the General Assembly, despite urgings from prominent individuals like those mentioned above, then many will suspect that the Duterte administration has been in Beijing's pocket all along—and Locsin's bluster is purely for show. Published 9/1/2020
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