Throwing its weight like a Big Bully is China- snaring hectares of the disputed  South China Sea land – with , yet a sneer, of ” so what?”. This is a wholesale insult to the nation’s territorial sovereignty that China treats like a dish rag.
And why not? The Philippines cannot stand up like a free nation to China’s intrusions. Military power is might- and we do not have that . We have 100 million people to China’s 1.3 billion.
Do not forget that China is jealous over its land territories. Recall that in a border dispute with Vietnam in 1979- the battle then resulted in 30,000 dead, Vietnamese and Chinese. China  does not seem to settle disputes without firing cannons.
Our military logistics is a joke. Today, we do not have a single jet fighter to combat enemies. After the war, the US gifted us some 40 jet fighters;  President Macapagal  got an  additional 30  F5 jets  in 1965 while the American bases were still here and another 30  F9 jets that President Marcos bought in 1979. We had 100 jets then- now we have zero.All decommissioned  due to  old age.
The AFP Modernization program is a joke. For air combat, RP Air Force  only has 50 of “light attack” aircrafts, 8 transport and utility crafts, about 20 combat helicopters  and 27 search and rescue planes. The Army,  Coast Guard, and Navy Patrol only have rescue, transport and patrol airplanes- not for heavy combat duty.
For sea defense which is crucial in our territorial dispute with China- the Philippine Navy  only has 3 frigging frigates, 11 aging corvettes,  38 patrol crafts , 9 amphibian-land boats, 40 minor naval vessels while the poor Coast Guard covering a wide coastline only has 50 small boats and 3 amphibian vessels.
That is why when we shout to the Chinese invaders: ” Get Lost, Intruders”, they just roll down in laughter at their boat planks , curse us in the foulest Chinese language and fire to us using  water cannons. When will we put an end to these insults to injury?
For comments: email to dejarescobingo@yahoo.com or bohol-rd@mozcom.com