BY AMADO P. MACASAET
MALAYA
MALAYA
‘The truth is China did not like the idea of Philippines getting orders or advice from the United States.’
This might be the correct way of trying to understand the mess that has attended the back-channeling of Sen. Anthony Trillanes on the Panatag or Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, renamed West Philippine Sea by President Aquino.
The story we can piece together is that China had privately expressed a desire to talk to the senator obviously as a manifestation of its desire to solve what appears to be an escalating dispute.
The offer stepped on the toes of Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario who is supposed to have everything on his fingertips. But as it now turns out, based on news reports on Saturday, the President was pleased with the results of the backchanneling of Trillanes but sharply pointed out the move was the lawmaker’s own, never his.
One does not say he likes or enjoys a stolen fruit, disowns the stealing but does not denounce the thief. This is extremely difficult to understand. It tells a lot about the President’s inability to get his act and those of his men together.
My guess is backchanneling is a world-wide diplomatic practice. It is backroom wheeling and dealing. Most of the time the results are more productive than the announced negotiations at the bargaining table where the language is always diplomatese. It works most of the time. If it does not, nobody is supposed to know that there is such back channeling. Unofficial acts by either party to a dispute are not authorized.
If the backroom negotiations work out well the brains are never really identified.
Most of the time, success is credited to the officials in the case of Scarborough dispute, the secretary of foreign affairs.
If the talks fail, the official negotiators take the brickbats. The backroom negotiators are never blamed. Officially, they do not exist.
My unfamiliarity with diplomatic relations between and among countries tells me that the Philippines made the mistake of putting up a fighting stance to defend the claim of ownership of the shoal. The other big claimant, among many, is China.
It should have occurred to the negotiators in the Philippines, President Aquino in particular, that there is nothing China hates more than seeing the United States moving behind the interest of any country in the dispute.
And that is precisely what President Aquino might have proclaimed to the world.
He is not worried a bit because Uncle San is behind him and his claim over Scarborough.
Simultaneous withdrawal of merchant marine vessels from the shoal was easily reached. It was a quick solution to the mounting tensions. But as it later appeared, the idea came from Washington as sought by the Philippines.
Beijing agreed but refused to comply after the Philippines made good its end of the bargain. Beijing said it had domestic matters to consider before the total pullout could be carried out.
The truth is China did not like the idea of Philippines getting orders or advice from the United States.
The expectation was that the conflict would escalate. It subsided substantially after President Aquino sent DOTC Secretary to China as some kind of personal envoy.
The official diplomatic language attributed to China is that Beijing is pleased that the Philippines had openly expressed a desire to settle the dispute over the shoal peacefully.
Peace had always been the intention. However, President Aquino made it appear that his government was prepared to defend the shoal with gunboats because the United States was behind him.
All is well that ends well. The lesson that could be learned in future conflict is it is well to start well. The Philippines did not in the case of the Scarborough conflict.
A lesson has been learned. The use of backroom negotiators should continue but secrecy should always be the first order.
Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario is the official victim of backroom negotiation that is said to have helped ease tensions but actually did not. He was kept in the dark by Trillanes who is said to have submitted a report to the Senate (and presumably to President Aquino) possibly leaving the foreign secretary in the dark.
Tensions eased after Beijing reportedly asked Manila to send a special envoy to the China-ASEAN expo.
This is officially a trade matter that should be attended by the Secretary of Trade and Industry or the Secretary of Foreign Affairs or both. President Aquino sent the Secretary of Transportation and Communications instead.
He brought home the bacon. That should the whole point.
email: amadomacasaet@yahoo.com
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