Paul Jervin Ladesma 
Fishermen hosed down…
A gentleman’s secret agreement…
Chinese assets in the government…
With recent political reports fueling internal turmoil of a possible Chinese-takeover, citizens are left no choice but to take matters into their own hands. Looking at the bigger picture, these seemingly rudimentary efforts are more than enough help in safeguarding our rights, identity, and sovereignty against the threats imposed by other nations.
A splash of blue and white
Developments in the issue of the West Philippine Sea have not been in our favor for quite a while now. Ever since the Chinese Maritime forces effectively captured Scarborough Shoal in 2012, no international ruling had detered China’s invasion. The rich natural resources entitled to us has been depleted and utilized for their own interests as local fishermen are continued to be denied access to their source of livelihood, harassed with water cannons the moment their proximity threatens the Chinese Coast Guard.
Despite not being able push through inside Ayungin Shoal, civilian-led initiatives are being operated, amassing to something worth way more than what officials from recent administrations have told us — or at this rate, if they even had anything to say at all.
Notice how civilian efforts managed to get us closer to reiterating the statement, “This is ours,” against the Chinese? It just shows that we don’t need the government to start making the first step. That is to say, we still need to collaborate with them at one point, to avoid it compromising our lives or unnecessarily brewing more conflict.
Furthermore, these acts define the real essence behind “Unity”. Whether you are an official or a day-to-day citizen, if we come together with a shared goal of achieving peace, then we may be able to devise strategies to help the country reclaim what has been taken from us almost 12 years ago.
Red for Valor
Remember when former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte pompously stated on the 24th of April, 2016, “I will ask the Navy, to bring me to the nearest boundary diyan sa Scarborough. Bababa ako, sasakay ako ng jet ski, dala-dala ko yung flag ng [Pilipinas], at pupunta ako dun sa airport nila, tapos [itatanim] ko. Then I would say ‘Do what you want with me’.” To no one’s surprise, it was nothing more than bravado, empty statements, and a ruse to get the vote of the masses.
Doubling down on this, years after his presidency, he revealed that he had made a “gentleman’s agreement” with President Xin Jinping. One that would benefit the latter’s power over the disputed domain.
But you know who did? Arnel Satam. A fisherman from Subic who rushed towards the shoal in his wooden motorboat last September. Unfazed, he fearlessly played tag with two Chinese vessels that chased him as they denied his entry.
And even recently, May 15th to 17th, a civilian mission carried out by coalition group, ATIN ITO, has successfully completed their second wave as they powered through a blockade of Chinese vessels to bring donations and supplies to Filipinos around the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal. Moreover, they have successfully managed to install buoys within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, inscribed with “WPS ATIN ITO!”, effectively becoming symbolic markers.
Minding the line
Given that our initiatives will inherently result to China’s loss of sovereignty over a resource-filled domain, the opposing country’s government is not keen on handing over the rights to our country. Even going as far as threatening to detain “trespassers” who enter the disputed waters. However, the ironic thing is that we were never the trespassers to begin with.
One would think that all of our elected leaders are as committed to this fight as the ATIN ITO volunteers. But here we are, waiting for their explanations and promises to materialize into actual concrete efforts. As citizens, we expect them to support the people who values the country’s interests in holding the line, not the mic.
What concerns me the most is that online, Chinese media outlets such as China Xinhua News and China Daily, have published misinformative content that put malice over our righteous intentions. And given the international scale of social media, it is imperative that we set the record straight.
The Republic of the Philippines is a small, third-world country, with only so much at disposal. Any loss over sovereignty is already a massive economic loss. Hence, we are not fighting for the WPS just to taunt and attack China, rather, we are fighting for the rights that we have continuously been deprived of.
Unlike China’s imaginary nine-dash line, the line we are holding is real, justified, and inked with truth. It is due time we come together to draw the line for our rights over the West Philippine Sea.
ATIN ITO.
