Tit for tat

By REY O. ARCILLA  

Malaya

(We should take a page from the way India dealt with the outrageous and humiliating treatment inflicted by the US Government on one of her consular officials recently.)

Tit for tat is how we should deal with countries, big or small, that treat us like we are pushovers. It may strain relations for a while but it will definitely win us the respect, grudging or otherwise, of others and, more importantly, keep our self-respect.

In this regard, we should take a page from the way India dealt with the outrageous and humiliating treatment inflicted by the US Government on one of her consular officials recently.

Indian deputy consul general in New York Devya Khobragade was arrested, handcuffed and strip-searched allegedly for lying in a visa application about how much she paid her housekeeper, a minor offense by any standard.

As a duly accredited consular officer, Khobragade should have been accorded more appropriate treatment by the US Government, instead of the highhanded and abusive way that it did.

In retaliation, the Indian Government removed the concrete security barriers in front of the US Embassy in New Delhi, withdrew the ID cards of American diplomats and issued new ones to consular officers stating that they can be arrested under certain circumstances, and ordered the shut down of a recreational facility used for “commercial activities” inside the Embassy compound. The facility is a multipurpose club used by non-diplomats that contravenes a provision of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

In the meantime, India moved Khobragade to the Indian Permanent Mission to the United Nations as a counselor. The new assignment accorded her full diplomatic immunity. After India refused to waive her diplomatic immunity, the US demanded that she be sent back to India.

Again, in retaliation, India asked the US to withdraw one of her diplomats in New Delhi of equivalent rank.

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Tit for tat is also how we should deal with Chinese rules that took effect January 1 requiring foreign fishing vessels to obtain prior approval enter waters under its jurisdiction. As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), we should just take China’s announcement as one that adheres to the provisions of the Convention, i.e., that the rules cover only areas that she is entitled to under the Convention.

In fact, there was no need for us to verify or seek clarification from China on her announcement. As I said, we should just assume she is adhering to the provisions of UNCLOS.

In response, we should also do the same. We require foreign fishing vessels to first get clearance from us before they venture into our 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as defined by UNCLOS. That would include Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal).

This is in fact consistent with the position of our Department of National Defense whose spokesman said it is “ready to enforce the country’s maritime laws in the wake of reports that China is imposing fishing regulations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“The defense establishment is ready to assist in enforcing the maritime rules in the Philippine EEZ. We will enforce (measures to protect) our resources,” said defense department spokesman Peter Galvez.

And in case China decides to impose an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on our territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea, we also impose our own ADIZ in the same area. Tit for tat.

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His patron, Manny Pangilinan, virtually told him to quit, but Foreign Secretary Albert “Amboy” del Rosario wants to cling on to his post “for as long as President Aquino so desires.”

Question is has he ever asked Noynoy if he’s still wanted? Shouldn’t he know by now that Noynoy does not have the heart to sack any of his cabinet members, even those who are obviously NPAs (Non-Performing Assets)? Or even those who are obviously involved in scams? He won’t even accept resignations from cabinet members unless he knows that the latter is really serious about resigning and insists on it.

If Del Rosario is looking for a sign from Noynoy that he is no longer wanted or that he is deemed to be ineffective in his job, wasn’t the fact that Noynoy asked Senator Antonio Trillanes to do back-channeling work on the West Philippine Sea dispute with China not enough? That he allegedly supplied Senator Juan Ponce Enrile with the so-called Brady Papers to discredit Trillanes, apparently without the knowledge of Noynoy, not reason enough for him to go? That Noynoy had to send Mar Roxas to meet with then China’s vice President Xi Jinping to try and patch things up not enough? If he has any delicadeza at all, he should have already resigned then and there.

Which brings me to ask: Is it not possible that Pangilinan wants him to quit because he is unhappy with the way Del Rosario is handling our relations with China? And with the US?

Or is it not possible that Noynoy may have spoken with Pangilinan to give Del Rosario the message that he is no longer needed? Truth to tell, Del Rosario is really out of his depth in the position of foreign secretary. His only diplomatic experience is that of ambassador to Washington which clearly is not the best place to acquire diplomatic expertise, especially for someone who is/was allegedly an American citizen or a green card holder. He does not even speak or understand the national language!

Here, I am reminded of the time Pangilinan was already deep in discussions with the China National Oil Company for doing oil exploration work at Recto Bank in the WPS. He was even quoted at the time that we have to deal with China because we do not have the money to do it ourselves.

Then, someone in the know said that the Americans wanted a piece of the action, but the Chinese balked. Thereafter, Noynoy gave the go signal for us to go to the UNCLOS Arbitral Tribunal. That effectively estopped Pangilinan from pursuing the joint venture with China.

I could be wrong but I somehow have this feeling that Pangilinan, whom I have never met, has a better world view than anyone in the horizon who could set things straight in dealing with other countries.

With the perceived dearth of good candidates for president two years from now, Pangilinan might well emerge as a formidable candidate. Sources say he has in fact indicated he might go for it.

I, for one, would not be totally averse to it. His ties to the Salim Group of Indonesia, however, has been mentioned as a potential baggage. I agree that issue needs sorting out. On the other hand, his ties with the Salim Group makes me think he would be less in awe of the US and more attuned to national and regional interests. In other words, he could be more nationalistic than all of our previous presidents (I have yet to make up my mind about Noynoy) in his international outlook.

The other thing that might prove to be a baggage for Pangilinan is the fact that he has his tentacles in almost all vital industries in the country: telecommunications, infrastructure, media (radio/TV/newspaper), mining, hospitals and Heaven knows what else. Some people are afraid his business interests might get in the way of governing the country in the most appropriate way. The US’ George W. Bush, Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi and Thailand’s Thaksin Shinawatra come to mind.

Then again, who knows?

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Wasn’t Noynoy bitterly critical of the excessive pay and allowances that former officials of government-owned and -controlled corporations for giving themselves huge allowances and excessive perks? He was frothing in the mouth when he referred to it in his first, or was it the second, State of the Nation Address.

He sounded so keen on eliminating the practice that he urged Congress to pass a law creating the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG).

And so it came to pass that the GCG was established but what does it do? It virtually legalized the reason it was created in the first place!

For instance, aside from the Social Security System (SSS) board of directors giving themselves a bonus of P1 million each, courtesy of the GCG whose mandate it is to approve such bonus, there is that even more obscene grant of bonus to the members of the Board of Trustees of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
I don’t know if SSS employees received Christmas bonus last year but definitely, the GSIS employees did not for the first time in years. The reason is the GCG disapproved it, notwithstanding the fact that it approved P1.2 million for each of the GSIS trustees.

In an earlier column, I asked how much bonuses the GCG commissioners have given themselves. Also how much per diem they give themselves whenever they meet and how often. In a letter to me, I was told my requested information was referred to the official concerned. I never heard from them again. Could they be hiding anything?

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I found the following news items in two papers in just one day:

· Kid tags 2 in Valenzuela condo robbery
· Rookie QC cop shot dead in Taguig City
· Business executive killed after she was ambushed
· Human body parts found in a box
· Negros gov wants deeper probe on lawman’s killing
· Willie Nep’s grandson, another hurt in Marikina shooting
· Thieves try to break into bank ATM in Muntinlupa
· Abu attacks Basilan village after assault on its leaders
· American tourist found dead inside QC hotel room.

With the crime situation turning from bad to worse, what is Noynoy’s crime czar, his executive secretary and bosom buddy Paquito Ochoa, doing? Obviously not much. So, what is Noynoy going to do about it? Just let the crime situation further deteriorate?

To begin with, why does he have to appoint a crime czar when there is already a DILG secretary, Mar Roxas, who has under him, supposedly, the Philippine National Police?

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Reminders (for Noynoy):

1) Filing of charges against officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) during Arroyo’s illegitimate regime. Noynoy himself said on several occasions that there is documentary evidence to prove the venalities in the past in that agency.

2) Investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia and ordering his successor, Robert “Pretty Boy” Vergara, to file the proper charges, if warranted, against the former.

Noynoy should also order Vergara to report to him on COA’s findings that:

(a) He received the obscenely excessive compensation of P16.36 million last year making him the highest paid government servant and;

(b) That, as of six or seven months ago, at least P4.13 billion in contributions and loan payments made by 12 government offices to the GSIS had not been credited to the offices as of Dec. 31, 2011.

COA also said the amount of unrecorded remittances could go much higher because only 36 agencies have so far responded out of the 186 that were sent confirmation requests by government auditors. Of the 36, 27 confirmed “discrepancies” in their premium and loan payments ledgers when compared with those of the GSIS.

There are three questions being raised when remittances, or parts thereof, of government agencies are not recorded by the GSIS on time: a) Where are these huge sums “parked” in the meantime?; b) Do they earn interest?; and c) To where (whom?) does the interest, if any, go?

Pray tell, Mr. Vergara, what is the present status of these funds, including those that may have been remitted since and not yet recorded by the GSIS?

3) Facilitating the investigation of rampant corruption in the military and police establishments.

4) Resort to his immense presidential powers to expedite the resolution of the Ampatuan massacre case that is now on its fourth year.

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Today is the 240th day of the seventh year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance

The Justice Department has dismissed the charges against several of those accused in Jonas’ disappearance. Cleared were former AFP chiefs of staff Hermogenes Esperon and Alexander Yano, ex-PNP chief Avelino Razon, retired Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, Brig. Gen. Eduardo Ano and Lt. Col. Melquiades Feliciano. Only Maj. Harry Baliaga will be charged for arbitrary detention, murder and obstruction of justice on the disappearance of Jonas.

“Pwedeng kasuhan ang kamay ng krimen pero ang utak ay hindi?” rued Lorena Santos, daughter of a desaparecido like Jonas.

Mr. President, is this what you meant when you called for a “focused, dedicated and exhaustive” probe of what really happened to Jonas?

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14 January 2014 Email: roacrosshairs@outlook.com