Potential Panetta replacement puts Philippines in its place; Philippine strategic blunder over Scarborough invites snide remarks from China

IS AMERICA FEEDING THE EGO OF CHINA? COULD THE DECLARATION OF POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR (picture shown) TO U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA have triggered Beijing's snide remark that the Philippines is being a "troublemaker" because we are pressing our claim to Scarborough Shoal? 

QUESTION: Why does this potential successor to Panetta have to open her big mouth? ANSWER: Because our government officials have committed a monumental blunder, in fact, a strategical blunder of untold proportions; and having done that, these same officials continue to hang to the belief that America will be our saviour! Grow up PH Govt officials and leaders!

LAST 29th November, the possible successor to US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said there was a risk of Manila “mistaking U.S. support for an opportunity to be much more assertive in staking their claims. I think we have to be careful that we don’t feed that dynamic.”

Ms Michele Flournoy, former US undersecretary of defence for US policy, also said, “I do think there is a danger of some of our friends occasionally misreading, or miscalculating, in terms of the support that they have from the United States.” 

Sanamagan! Although we must say that she is right to be straightforward (at least we know where Pinas stands!!!) The Philippines should NEVER HAVE ACCEPTED to withdraw our ships even under US pressure. NEVER!!!!! If it is truethat PH was indeed under pressure from the United States back in mid-2012 to agree with China for the withdrawal of ships, the Philippines should have asked for a quid pro quo, i.e., for an official American commitment that the US would help Pinas to eject the intruders should the agreement not work. Otherwise, should have been no go!

HERE'S THE REPORT: 

Former U.S. Official: Don’t Mistake Support on South China Sea
December 14, 2012, 6:41 PM
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images 

A former senior U.S. defense official viewed as a possible successor to Leon Panetta as defense secretary said the Philippines has recently mistaken U.S. renewed engagement in the region as an opportunity to more assertively pursue territorial claims against China. 

Michele Flournoy, who served as undersecretary for defense policy until February 2012, said last month while the U.S. needed to send clear signals of support for its allies in the region, it also needed to ensure that support didn’t lead allies to act provocatively. 

Naming the Philippines specifically, she said there was a risk of Manila “mistaking U.S. support for an opportunity to be much more assertive in staking their claims. I think we have to be careful that we don’t feed that dynamic.” 

The comments by Ms. Flournoy came during a question-and-answer session at Australian National University on Nov. 29. Video of the remarks was posted on YouTube this week. 

“I do think there is a danger of some of our friends occasionally misreading, or miscalculating, in terms of the support that they have from the United States,” Ms. Flournoy added.

Let's get things right. The United States will always have its interest in mind first and foremost. Miss Fournoy is right to be straightforward. We cannot blame the United States for not siding with us because at the end of the day, it was the Philippines that committed the blunder and stuck to the belief that the US would come to Philippine aid. So sorry Messieurs Philippine officials! The Spratlys and Scarborough are NOT PART OF THE US-PH Mutual Defence Treaty. Philippine officials must have known that. They have been completely do-lally!

Today, we must face the fact that China now has de facto control (and sovereignty) of Scarborough. They can declare that Scarborough is land mass which, if they do, can change the EEZ dynamics. 

AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE REAL PROBLEM IS OR POTENTIAL ENORMOUS PROBLEM WILL BE? If they do that, they will be able to declare that waters from Scarborough land mass stretching 200nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal (from Panatag itself + 12 nautical miles from the shoal itself) belong to them which will ultimately deprive the Philippines of everything down to the Philippines own 12 nautical mile territorial waters (from our baseline). In other words, if China declares that the 200 nautical miles of waters from Scarborough-Panatag Shoal itself are part of China Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the act could effectively rope Zambales and all the islands inward, i.e., inside Luzon itself, as in navally blockaded by China. Our officials or leaders who AGREED TO order the withdrawal of our ships back in July did not think of potential consequences. Complete dumbos!

The Philippines should NEVER HAVE ACCEPTED to withdraw our ships even under US pressure. NEVER. If it is true that PH was indeed under pressure from the United States back in mid-2012 to agree with China for the withdrawal of ships, the Philippines should have asked for a quid pro quo, i.e., for the US commitment that the US would help Pinas to eject the intruders should the agreement not work.

To accept to withdraw our ships -- whatever the pressure, was a tactical, nay, a strategic blunder of untold proportions.

President Aquino is responsible for this fiasco. At the end of the day, he has the ultimate command responsibility. President Aquino is lucky that Philippine media is do-lally and that Pinoys have not fully absorved the enormity of the atrocious tactical blunder committed by his government.

By Anne de Bretagne
Defenders of the Philippine Sabah and Spratly Claims
15 December 2012