AT THE sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said that partnerships are founded on mutual trust among the parties. Indeed it would be difficult to trust a partner when that partner says one thing but does another.
Secretary Teodoro’s statement during the security summit comes amid the continuing encroachment of China into the Philippines in a myriad of ways – the use of laser and water cannons, sideswiping boats, even a maneuver perilously close to a Philippine aircraft. There is also intimidation and outright harassment of Filipino fishermen and soldiers, as well as egregious disinformation and propaganda.
China insists the West Philippine Sea is part of China’s territory despite a clear and unequivocal 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that China’s nine-dash claim had no legal basis. Unfortunately, China adamantly refuses to recognize the PCA’s jurisdiction and wantonly violates international law, posing a threat not only to the Philippines but to the Indo-Pacific region.
The Philippines has filed multiple diplomatic protests, but all of these seem to be ineffectual as our giant neighbor to the northwest appears to get bolder over time. Still, while we note all of its incursions and assert how it must respect international law and basic decency in its conduct among other nations, we still do so under the ambit of diplomacy. We are, as many other nations in the region and in the world, advocates of peace and stability.
Trust is indeed in shortage in this age of broken promises and misleading commitments, both with regard to external defense and to our domestic affairs.
For example, the people are now doubting whether the impeachment trial of the Vice President would at all take place, given how the Senate leadership appears to lack the will to see it through its logical end.
It is easy to speculate what the reasons may be for this lack of interest. The results of last month’s elections is likely a factor in the administration’s confidence that it could muster enough votes for conviction. The continued popularity of the VP’s family especially in the southern Philippines, compounded with the detention of their patriarch in the Netherlands for crimes against humanity, could turn the democratic exercise into political theater.
It could be said that this is now in the hands of our senators.
But lest they forget, our senators do not just answer to themselves; they are accountable to their constituents – the entire nation – because they are elected representatives who were trusted to act on behalf of the people’s interest.
And our interest is now to get to the truth about the accusations against the second-highest official of the land. A recent Social Weather Stations survey bears this out; 68 percent of respondents believe she should address the charges while another 20 percent said she “probably should.”
While it is true that a trial, given the numerous articles of impeachment transmitted from the House of Representatives, will likely distract our people and our officials from the task of ensuring sustainable and inclusive economic progress, holding our leaders accountable for the deeds they committed in office is equally important in maintaining a functioning democracy.
We trusted our senators enough to elect them into office so they could champion our interest above their own. It is the people’s interest to get to the truth and see whether the controversial accusations against the VP have basis in fact. As vigorously as we defend ourselves from incursions by external threats, so must we be on guard against perils of politicking that threaten to corrode a fragile democracy.
