WAR: TUTA PA MORE

Lifted from

𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐆

By: Ret. PAF Chief Gen. Romeo V Poquiz 

I say again. The Philippines is not the enemy of China in the South China Sea. It is the mighty USA. Why do you think China harasses Filipino citizens doing resupply missions to the Ayungin Shoal but allows Vietnam unhampered reclamation and weaponization of the rocks and shoals it occupies in areas inside China's 9-dash line? Because Vietnam does not act as a puppet of the USA like the Philippines.

On the resupply mission a few days ago, a Philippine Navy sailor lost a finger during a scuffle with Chinese sailors who intercepted the resupply mission. The Chinese towed the PN RHIB boats away from the Siera Madre, gassed our sailors, boarded their boats, confiscated their 8 firearms and punctured the boats. So sad for the Philippines. 

Many questions need to be answered. 

Why were NavSOG frogmen used as escorts, instead of Coast Guard, if the rule is not to fight back? What are the rules of engagement? Although armed, the NavSOG frogmen gave away their firearms to the baton-wielding Chinese sailors without a fight. What an embarassment. 

This is what we get when we fight it out instead of talking things over in a diplomatic way for a win-win solution to the disputed rocks and shoals. China strictly enforces its claims because not doing so will be a sign of weakness which may be exploited by its enemy the US.

Our dispute with China is a small matter over rocks, shoals, and water, not even our territory and our sovereignty, but only sovereign rights, where the dispute may be settled diplomatically. What is big and a no no to China is the US meddling in purely Asian domestic affairs, where China is encircled by many US bases, including 9 from the Philippines, and missiles pointed at China.

After an unarmed scuffle during the recent resupply mission, an armed scuffle will be a big possibility during the next mission. Philippine Navy sailors, if they are real soldiers, will not allow their firearms to be taken away by anybody, even by a superpower like China. Shots will then be fired and deaths are a possibility. Will this lead to war? Big possibility. Will the US help the Philippines in the war? Of course not, despite the MDT and its ironclad policy. Are they crazy? Will they go to war against a fellow superpower and die just because of the death of a Filipino soldier? No way!

At best, the US will provide token support to the Philippines like what they did in Ukraine. It is perfectly alright for the US if there are wars and armed conflicts in the world so long as these do not reach the US mainland which is very far away. In fact, the US is the one fomenting wars and conflicts. Wars and conflicts are the lifeblood of the US economy through its military industrial complex.

The issue: Is the Philippines ready for war? Definitely not.

If a shooting war starts, where will the AFP get its fuel for its trucks, ships, and airplanes? From Petron. Where does Petron get its fuel? From the Middle East, with the oil tankers passing by the South China Sea. Does Petron maintain strategic fuel reserve? No. With the privatization of the oil industry and oil deregulation, the government relies on the private sector to do all these. Do the private oil companies have enough stocks and strategic reserve? None. It is not wise for them, business-wise, to do so due to the high cost of safekeeping or storage. At best, we are good to fight with fuel for 7 days.

During war, how do we feed our people when we import rice, despite us as an agricultural country? We even import fish, especially the poor man's galunggong, despite the fact that we are an archipelago surrounded by seas and oceans.

Wars at this time is not the same as the last world war. Now is cyber, aerospace, satellites, AI, hypersonic missiles, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear wars. Are we ready? We do not even have alarm sirens and much more bomb shelters for our people.

And we are raring to fight, instead of sitting down and negotiate as friends, partners, and neighbors, because we are warriors and our egos are touched? 

You want war? 

Go fight yourselves. Just make sure my country is not erased in the world map because you acted by the say so of a director of an ally and master who pretends to be a friend.