Diplomacy in the Midst of Tension

Philippines and China are in the middle of the mos challenging argument. China’s  claim on some part of the West Philippine Sea is outrageous. I felt like someone is stealing or trespassing my property. When I heard that news, I also remembered all other rumored unlawful activities that Chinese are engaged in like manufacturing of burger patty using cartons and counterfeit of branded goods, drug dealership, and trafficking. That moment, I forgot all their contributions in our country.

As I try to calm myself, I realize that it is not fair to feed my anger with thoughts which are not related to the main issue. I realize that It is better to focus on seeing the good things that China has imparted to us. It is more important to maintain our diplomatic relations even if other countries are of great support to our beloved Philippines than to feed that hatred and increase the tension. Emotions and tension will not help both parties as these will just cloud our minds and prevent us from objective thinking.

Our issue with China is covered by the International Law. Our fight should always have a legal basis so that we’ll never go wrong. I do believe that our arguments during the hearings in Hague are strong and that we have excellent representatives as well.

I strongly believe that the part of West Philippine Sea that China is trying to claim is ours. We have the sole sovereign right over the area. Aside form the territorial rights, we are also fighting to save our seabeds from destruction. China’s building of artificial terrestrial zone greatly affects the natural habitats of our sea creatures.

I believe that filing this dispute in Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague, Netherlands is the most peaceful way of resolving the issue. This dispute is not our sole connection with China, we also have our business and trade to protect.