No guarantee US will side with us in sea rows

MANILA — The Balikatan exercises under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) offer no guarantee that the United States will side with the Philippines if an armed conflict erupts over maritime disputes with China, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Sunday.

Escudero conceded, though, that the Joint Balikatan Exercises in the West Philippine Sea somehow “diffuses tension” but warned nonetheless the Philippines could get caught in the middle of two giants protecting their own interests.

“Basta mag-ingat lamang tayo na huwag tayong maipit sa dalawang higante ika nga dahil sa dulo, baka sila ay bati na, [samantalang] tayo kaaway pa ng dalawang bansa [We should just be careful not to be caught in the middle of two giants because at the end of the road, these two might reconcile while we remain their enemy],” Escudero said in a radio interview.

China, he stressed, holds more than $2 trillion in America’s debt and in the end, Washington will not confront Beijing in an armed conflict in the West Philippine Sea.

His remarks came just a few days after Chinese authorities from the ground repeatedly warned an American Poseidon surveillance plane circling over Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef in the West Philippine Sea to “go away!” in order to “avoid a misjudgment,” a veiled threat to take drastic action, including possibly shooting it down.

The Pentagon said despite the warnings - the voice claimed it was the Chinese Navy and the Coastguard - it will continue its surveillance flights, as this was in international waters, and was determined to ensure no country hampers the freedom of navigation and aviation.

Beijing condemned the US action as “reckless” and “dangerous” and urged Washington to desist from repeating it.

Still, Escudero told DZBB Sunday, the two countries may just be engaged in a game of oneupmanship, but that nothing more could happen.

“Alalahanin natin, hawak ng China ang $2trillion utang ng America. Di ako naniniwalang sa dulo, mag-aaway yang dalawa, di ako naniniwala sa dulo na dadating sila sa puntong makikipag-giyerahan sa isa’t isa. Marahil pormahan ito, pero sa tingin ko hanggang doon lang sa ngayon [Let’s remember China holds $2 trillion of America’s debt. I don’t believe that these two countries will go to war against each other. I think they’re just posturing, nothing more],” Escudero said.

The senator urged the Philippine government to continue diplomatic and legal channels for peaceful settlements in the maritime disputes with China, including, if necessary, not just the multilateral but also the bilateral track that Beijing insists on for tackling the dispute arising from its de facto takeover of parts of the Kalayaan Island Group well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“Tama ang ginagawa ng ating bansa, gumagamit ng opsiyong legal, gumagamit ng opsiyog multi-lateral at para sa akin dapat buksan ang lahat ng option, pati opsiyong bilateral na siyang hinihiling at gusto ng China,” Escudero said.

“They want bilateral [talks]. We won’t lose anything pursuing that as well. Add also the back channeling talks; all of that a country can pursue,” added Escudero, speaking in Filipino. “Nothing will be lost if we talk at the multilateral, regional or bilateral level; we just shouldn’t buckle down when we talk with them one on one,” he said.

He called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines to refrain from saber rattling, since no amount of funds will allow the country’s firepower to match Beijing’s military hardware.