China and Duterte: Too close for comfort

My late boss, Tony de Joya, chairman of Advertising & Marketing Associates, had a classic description of a condom:

“It gives you a feeling of security while you are being screwed.”

I was reminded of this upon reading about the results of President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit to China, as reported by The Philippine Star:

“The Philippines has garnered $24 billion worth of investment and financing agreements in one of the most controversial and lucrative state visits of a Filipino leader in recent history.

“Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said President Duterte’s three-day China trip, which was accompanied by a big business delegation, resulted in several investment and financing agreements that summed up to $ 24 billion, of which $15 billion are investment projects and $9 billion credit facilities.”

The bonanza is expected to generate at least two million jobs, the story added.

Another news item that reminded me of the condom analogy read:

“China will build two bridges across the Pasig River as part of the $10-billion investment package agreed upon by President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping as a result of the renewed vigor in bilateral cooperation between the two countries.”

Duterte apparently could not contain his undying gratitude for China’s generosity: “China has promised us, for all their goodness… to build two bridges over the Pasig River. Free. Gratis. And I bow in gratitude.

“In spite of this good news and seeming to contradict the saying, ‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth,’” three prominent individuals have offered Duterte what amounts to unsolicited advice:

Reacting to Duterte’s comment that China could not be prevented from constructing an environment monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal because the Philippines cannot afford to go to war with the Asian behemoth, Senior Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio chided:

“The President is the Commanderin- Chief of the Armed Forces which are expressly tasked by the Constitution to defend the national territory.”

Assuming that “the Philippines is no match to China militarily” Carpio suggested five things Duterte could do, first of which is to “file a strong protest” against China’s activities.

“This is the least that the President should do,” said Carpio.

But the most stinging advice that Carpio gave was: “Avoid any act, statement or declaration that expressly or impliedly waives Philippine sovereignty to any Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea. This will preserve for future generations of Filipinos their national patrimony in the West Philippine Sea. Any statement that the Philippines cannot stop China from building on Scarborough Shoal actually encourages China to build on Scarborough Shoal.”

On the other hand, business leader Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr., in an opinion piece in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, that began with an upbeat assessment of the Duterte government, pointed out three areas of concern, the second of which states:

“A second major area of concern is the long-term cost of our subservience to China. By all means, it makes great sense to be friendlier and to develop strong economic partnerships, but treating our sovereignty lightly as if it were a tradable commodity is ill-advised and will greatly cost our country in the long run.

“On this issue, I think the administration would benefit from former president Fidel V. Ramos’s idea of convening the highest level of leaders to formulate the appropriate policies and strategies to govern Philippine relations with China. President Duterte may mean well, but he will surely benefit from the perspectives and experience of other leaders.”

And, finally, came this social media posting by former Parañaque Congressman Roilo Golez, about Benham Rise, an area claimed by the Philippines but which China appears to be eyeing covetously:

“Benham Rise is so big that while it is in front of Aurora and Isabela, its southern edge is near Real-Infanta, Quezon and Bicol peninsula. We should all call on the government to protect and develop Benham Rise. In my opinion, Real is the most ideal place for a Naval and Coast Guard