* This is my column in BusinessWorld last August 20, 2018.
On Aug. 13, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief
of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr. admitted that China’s radio warnings to
Philippine aircraft and ships in the South China Sea (SCS) are “a daily
occurrence.”
The AFP leadership has actually been mum about this,
giving only occasional admission of such China warnings until BBC, one of the
international TV networks allowed by US Navy Patrol in one of its recent
patrols at the SCS, reported that it was able to pick up China’s aggressive
warning to a Philippine military aircraft supposedly flying nearby: “Philippine
military the aircraft. I’m warning you again: Leave immediately or you will
bear responsibility for all the consequences.”
BBC observed that China’s radio warning to the Philippine
aircraft was less courteous compared to the US Navy aircraft which also
received a China military warning.
The previous Aquino administration hauled China to the
UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands. It
was a good move and on July 12, 2016 or less than two weeks into the Duterte
administration, PCA rewarded the Philippines with a ruling that China’s 9-dash
line has no basis in international law.
President Duterte, however, has never explicitly used and
cited that PCA award and instead, tried to appease if not kowtow outrightly
with the Beijing communist government.
This policy shift was reassessed during the
Stratbase-Albert del Rosario Insitute (ADRi) forum last July 12. VP Leni
Robredo, former DFA Secretary del Rosario, SC Associate Justice Antonio Carpio,
UP Law Prof. Jay Batongbacal were among the speakers and they highlighted the
lack of importance given by the Duterte administration on the value of such
arbitral award.
In terms of defense spending, there is some change made
by Duterte — there is marked increased in the proposed budget for the Army, Air
Force and Navy and decline in the general headquarters (HQ) and other support
units. Obligation budget refers to possible extension of service delivery and
payment beyond the calendar year while cash budget refers to service delivery
and payment within the calendar year with maximum extension of three months
(see table 1).
Looking at the regional picture in defense spending, the
World Bank’s World Development Indicators (WDI) has some interesting data.
In terms of absolute values of military spending, China
is #1 hands down. Its GDP size (nominal) in 2016 was $11.2 trillion so 1.9% of
it is $212.8 B, a huge amount (see table 2).
The Philippines’ military personnel and spending look
small compared with its neighbors, but considering that it has little external
defense capability and the main function of the AFP is internal defense like
fighting the NPAs and ragtag separatist and Islamic fundamentalist groups, the
spending looks big.
Other Asian countries have used both diplomatic and
limited military engagement in facing China bullying in the SCS. Vietnam and
Indonesia, for instance, have sank some intrusive Chinese fishing boats that
are sometimes backed up by China Coast Guard boats.
The Duterte administration’s kowtow attitude to the China
communist government is shameful. It should redeem itself by reasserting the
Philippines’ ownership of those stolen islands and territories, have military
coordination with the US Navy and have regular joint patrols in the area, among
others.
See also:
BWorld 230, US-China ‘trade war’ and PH federalism, July 17, 2018
BWorld 239, Dutertenomics' debt addiction, August 12, 2018
BWorld 240, IMO, coal dependence and renewables lobby, August 19, 2018
BWorld 241, Land transport modernization and the bureaucracy, August 21, 2018
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