The enemy within

By DUCKY PAREDES
MALAYA

‘(W)e should at least begin doing something about the fifth column that China employs composed of Filipinos who will reveal themselves as traitors to their own country when China finally makes its move.’

I HONESTLY do not understand how young Filipinos will demonstrate in front of the United States Embassy just because an American vessel went into the Tubbataha Reef and destroyed coral. After all, the United States will surely pay the million or so dollars that is the fine the vessel must pay for the damage it caused in the world heritage site.

The United States is cooperating with our officials and is definitely willing to pay. Big deal. I wonder how the Chinese would have reacted if it was their vessel that caused the damage? Why do I ask?

Where were these demonstrators when the Navy of the People’s Republic of China occupied Scarborough Shoal a few months back? These demonstrators never raised a peep when the Chinese maps were redrawn to show that China owned a large portion of what has always been part of the Philippine territory from the time that we became a country.

What are these demonstrators? In the event of a Chinese invasion, will they be China’s fifth column?

Sure, it has always been fun to march against our former colonial masters. It made us feel good about ourselves going against the once-feared Gods who ruled this land. But, really they haven’t been of much importance anymore in the recent past.

I really do not mind any Pinoy demonstrating against the Americans. If that makes them feel good about themselves, they should just go ahead, But we are in a dangerous situation today. China looks very much like it is preparing for war and, if it is, we must be wary of our local Communists who would probably prefer their comrades taking over this country from the Filipinos

Recently, China’s Foreign Ministry, in a press statement published by China.org.cn, lashed out at the Philippines’ impending acquisition of a second Hamilton class cutter from the United States, as well as our plans to buy fighter jets for the Philippine Air Force.

We are buying 12 patrol ships from Japan, aircraft from South Korea, as well as search and rescue ships from Australia.

In this way, through the help of our allies, we can at least develop a “minimum credible defense posture.”

Why should China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei mind this? He said: “The Philippine decision to draw a third party into the incident in any way will further escalate the situation and even change the nature of the issue.”

Beijing also quotes an official of China Institute of International Studies who correctly pointed out that while the Philippines can buy weapons to improve its armed forces, it can’t be compared to China’s military.

That’s right. We are no match for China’s military might.

Major General Xu Yan, an official of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) National Defense University points out: “Once (the Philippines) dares escalate the movements of maritime police into military operations, it will suffer a great calamity from China’s strike in response to their attack.”

Xu adds that China now has “a large batch” of large and advanced ships that can be immediately deployed to Scarborough shoal.

According to the US Department of Defense’s latest report on China’s military forces, Beijing has 203 destroyers, frigates, amphibious transport, landing ships, diesel and nuclear attack submarines, and coastal patrol vessels deployed in the South and East China seas alone.

According to the Pentagon: “The PLA Navy has the largest force of principal combatants, submarines, and amphibious warfare ships in Asia.”

We know all that. What worries me it that we have Communist insurgents in our country that are working with Communist China and a corps of demonstrators who, from their choice of demonstration targets could just as well be Chinese agents preparing for the day when their Chinese masters enter our country as modern-day Genghis Khans.

Considering that the Communist insurgents in this country are as good as kill-for pay gangsters who will burn trucks and heavy equipment if they are not paid the revolutionary taxes they expect from businessmen, it would not be so difficult a task for their Chinese masters to pay their Pinoy alipins to cause disruptions in preparation for an eventual invasion.

A separate commentary published by China.org.cn, also criticized Japan over its proposed patrol ships deal with the Philippines.

A commentary written by Chen Guangwen says: “As Japan is already engaged in a dispute with China over the sovereignty of Diaoyu Island, aiding the Philippines in its territorial disputes with China in this way could dramatically escalate tensions in the region.

“It is not hard to understand Japan’s intentions. As a country outside the region, Japan’s active engagement has two main purposes. One is to distract China’s attention from Diaoyu Island and the East China Sea. Japan wants to use the disputes between China and other South East Asian countries as bargaining chips in its negotiations with China on the issue of Diaoyu Island. The second purpose is to protect its interests relating to its freedom of navigation and resource development in the South China Sea.

“Both Japan and the Philippines are concerned about China’s peaceful rise, despite its good intentions based on the policy of ‘building an amicable, tranquil and prosperous neighborhood. The Philippines has already benefited from China’s rise and concomitant bilateral trade. Even in the Huangyan Island dispute, China did not react with force to Philippine stubbornness. By contrast, the recent warming of relations between Japan and the Philippines is clearly based on the intention to counter China’s growing regional influence.”

I don’t know about the rest of you but, to me, it looks as if China is talking about a war in the offing. We’re not about to start one; but we should at least begin doing something about the fifth column that China employs composed of Filipinos who will reveal themselves as traitors to their own country, when China finally makes its move!

According to a report in the Washington Times, China’s new supreme leader President Xi Jinping has revamped the People’s Liberation Army, the largest military force in the world one mission: “get ready for a war, quickly.”

China has disputes with Japan. South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan and us. Without the US, the People’s Republic could take us all over – in the Philippines, with the help of its local band of gangsters – the New People’s Army. Wake up, Philippines!

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