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.
