Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another boat at sea. This is exactly what the Chinese Coast Guard has been doing in the high seas which they claim is theirs.
But it’s not even in their neighborhood. So, they travel miles to harass other boats with the purpose of grabbing territory that is clearly and legally not theirs.
International law assumes that nations like China utilize their military might for legitimate purposes, but the truth is these forces can be sinister when viewed through international law to carry out selfish motives.
Furthermore, maritime piracy is defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on article 101 as “any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed: on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft.”
Remember also that terrorism is defined as “The unofficial use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.” While it is always good to talk things over, we should also remind the Chinese ambassador in the country to report to Beijing only the facts and not the public opinion of the Duterte apologists.
The wanton (pun unintended) behavior of the Chinese Coast Guard makes really no difference from pirates who hound the open seas looking for would-be victims, so it comes not as a surprise to suspect them as pirates pretending to be the CCG.
Over the years, it has gained notoriety for such bullying acts with usually unarmed personnel from other marine vessels.
After the CCG, what next would they bring to further intimidate us, the Chinese navy?
Strained relations?
I remember a huge black and white photo of Chairman Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong) the former First Lady Imelda Marcos and President Bongbong Marcos displayed prominently at the Laoag International Airport. Is it still there?
This is perhaps a reminder to both Filipino and Chinese visitors of Ilocos Norte of a warm friendship between PH and China which began during the Marcos years.
This special friendship must be recognized by China. In doing so, the Chinese Politburo may very well offer some bit of respect to a tiny nation such as ours, even as we are known as a staunch ally of the US.
If you remember, when he was governor, Bongbong “brought” Ilocos Norte to China by joining international tourism conventions in Shanghai. He lobbied the Chinese administration to open a consulate in Laoag, thus making travel from China to Ilocos Norte convenient, capitalizing the proximity of both nations, being the international gateway in the country through the north.
So, long before Rodrigo Duterte bragged about riding a jet-ski toward those disputed territories to plant a Philippine flag, Bongbong already took a jet to meet top Chinese leaders for some serious discussions over a shot of Moutai to plant good diplomacy. Respect.
Just a reminder should their coast guard put another hole on our inflatable rafts. The Chinese officials remember PH as one of the first to establish diplomatic relations with China when the late FM was president.
Yes, when Bongbong was governor, he was treated with utmost respect and friendliness even if he was only a governor then of a “tiny province” (tiny by Chinese geographical standards).
In fact, a sister province in China has a population bigger than the entire archipelago. Yes to friendship with China, but please respect our sovereign rights over our territories and stop the bullying of our people and the destruction of our sea crafts.
Wake up LTO! Not us
I was awakened once again at four-thirty in the morning by the sound of a very loud motorcycle on the street.
There is obviously something very wrong in the way we enforce our laws: we simply do not enforce them.
Because, the last time I checked on the website of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), according to LTO Memorandum Circular No. 2020-2240, the sound level of motor vehicles for exhaust or mufflers should not exceed 99 dB at an engine speed set at 2,000 to 2,500 rpm.
Those motorcycles need not reach 2,000 rpm or so. They are noisy enough even at mid rpms.
If they are not corrected, the motorcycle may be impounded in accordance with LTO regulations.
So why isn't the LTO doing this? Hasn’t its Chief, Asec. Atty. Vigor Mendoza II not awakened yet by the sound of a pesky muffler?
-o0o-
Random Memorandum: It would be a sight to behold if there would be more Filipino motorists respecting the rights of pedestrians especially when they cross inside a pedestrian lane. As it is, many accidents occur between vehicles and people crossing the street even while doing so inside a crosswalk.
-o0o-
Factoid: In the 1930s, Dona Magdalena Hemady, a Lebanese high-society matron, developed a hacienda in the outskirts of San Juan into a large-scale subdivision. She called it the Magdalena Estate, which eventually evolved to be New Manila.