Editorial
The Daily Tribune
The Daily Tribune
Noynoy had achieved something historic as a result of his inability to make a stand on the inadvertent shooting of the Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
It took him more than one week to finally decide on issuing a half-hearted apology and even using the name of the Filipino people, which was of course rejected by the Taiwanese government, over the incident.
By being indecisive, Noynoy welded long feuding China and Taiwan together.
From the day of the incident, Noynoy was vacillating between standing his ground on the PCG’s insistence that it was the Taiwanese fishing boat to blame since it did not stop when it was flagged down in Philippine waters, and issuing a face-saving apology.
Apparently, the Chinese found an opening in the conflict that would achieve for it the proverbial two birds with one stone in winning brownie points with the Taiwanese public and pushing its diplomatic offensive against the Philippines further.
The diplomatic tussle with Taiwan would have been avoided had Noynoy responded quickly by asserting that there was a territorial breach and that the shooting of the Taiwanese was unintentional while at the same time issuing the government’s regret over the incident through emissaries.
It took more than a week for Noynoy to make a decisive move over the issue and sending the Manila Economic Cooperation Office (MECO) chairman Amadeo Perez to intercede in behalf of the country.
The move was deemed too late since Taiwan was already demanding that a more official form of apology is issued and handed to the Taiwanese government.
This is where China found a good vantage point to put increased pressure on Noynoy. China knew that Noynoy cannot officially issue a public apology to Taiwan lest he violates the one China policy and risk a bigger diplomatic friction.
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China then exploited Noynoy’s dilemma by adding fuel to the fire issuing statements, in behalf of what it considered its province, to brand the shooting incident as barbaric.
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China then exploited Noynoy’s dilemma by adding fuel to the fire issuing statements, in behalf of what it considered its province, to brand the shooting incident as barbaric.
In a sense, China is now asking Noynoy to also issue an apology to the People’s Republic of China over the death of the Taiwanese fisherman, who it considers as its own subject which further complicated the situation for Noynoy.
While it seems that China and Taiwan are speaking with one voice over the incident, diplomatic complexities point to Noynoy offending one or the other in issuing an apology to either.
It would be absurd for Noynoy for make a public apology to China since it would certainly offend the Taiwanese government and its people who are already ganging up against Filipinos working in Taiwan.
A direct apology to the Taiwanese government becomes further diplomatically appropriate since China had joined the fray and it is now speaking in behalf of Taiwan.
The diplomatic labyrinth, however, can be resolved only through a credible personal or private emissary of Noynoy who is connected with government.
During a similar gaffe with Taiwan in which Noynoy’s bungling officials in the Justice Department repatriated 14 Taiwanese suspected of running a telephone fraud scheme victimizing Chinese in Beijing, which also resulted in Taiwan’s suspension of the hiring of Filipino workers, Noynoy was able to send Mar Roxas who was still cooling his heels as a result of the appointments ban after an election.
The problem now with Noynoy is that all of his allies, friends, relatives and shooting buddies are now in government thus the dilemma of not having anybody who would satisfy the qualification of a private emissary.
Well if all things fail, Noynoy can send her sister Kris to do the apologies.
Well if all things fail, Noynoy can send her sister Kris to do the apologies.
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