OWNING PANATAG SHOAL

We, the Filipino people, own Panatag Shoal. Or at least, some of us believe.

The rest of this nation of almost 100 million is still divided on this issue. While some of us have joined mass protests today in various Chinese embassies and consulates worldwide, most of us are still weighing the consequences of such actions towards our relationship with our commie neighbour. And as such reservations continue to divide this nation rather than create a sold stand on the issue, the Chinese are continuing its united, armed incursion in Panatag Shoal.

United is the key word here. What makes China ever more confident about taking claim over Panatag Shoal is not just the fact that they have the largest military in the world, but also the fact that majority of Chinese society are behind the Communist Party and the Armed Forces in this endeavour. You can see it in the way they respond in Internet forums or in interviews on Chinese media: how ordinary Chinese netizens, with their substandard English, would bash and threaten Filipinos in forums; or how Chinese hackers have the audacity to attack and maim our websites. Even as their claims lack substantial proof, Chinese society has shown that unique fervour that Panatag Shoal and the rest of the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea are theirs. They are aware of their strength and capability as a people. Hence, with the people’s mandate, the Chinese government has the guts to draw out the big gun and threaten us in our own waters, and dictate the course of this crisis.

An Intensive Look at the Philippine Navy

The Philippine Navy used to be Southeast Asia’s most equipped naval force. In fact, its more powerful neighbors such as Indonesia and Malaysia once looked up at the Philippines for assistance in developing their own navies back when they were just emerging nations in the 1960s.

But now, more than 40 years later, the Philippine Navy is one of the weakest forces in the region.

With an old, decrepit fleet and a formidable yet ill-equipped marine corps, the Philippine Navy cannot stand a chance against the emerging and evolving security threats in Southeast Asia. It has been left behind by neighbors it once trained, who have now emerged as the regions most adept naval forces, capable of thwarting threats not only internally or regionally but also beyond their reach.

I just received reports that the Royal Malaysian Navy has freed a hijacked tanker off the coast of Somalia securing both ship and hostages without the loss of life.