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Friday, March 29, 2024

Buy missiles, not Beijing’s firearms

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The plan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to buy firearms from Communist China is a bad idea.  Only the brokers who stand to get fat commissions from the firearms deal will benefit.  That deal is a waste of public funds. 

For starters, the firearms to be sold to the Philippines could be lemons. They may be functional during early use, but they may not last long.  There may also be hidden defects in those weapons.  During the Vietnam war, a shipment of defective M-16 rifles which made it to the war zone cost many American soldiers their lives.  How can we prevent Beijing from sneaking in those lemons in the inventory to be sold to Manila?  Beijing can’t be trusted in international law, so why should Beijing be trusted in a firearms deal?

To all intents and purposes, the Philippines is at odds with Communist China because Beijing refuses to stop its island-grabbing operations in the West Philippine Sea—operations which are in violation of international law.  In fact, the only reason why Manila has not gone to war with Beijing is that the AFP is not match to the military might of the communist giant.  From this perspective, it does not make sense for Manila to buy firearms from the nation’s de facto military adversary.     

Products manufactured in Communist China are often shoddy.  International news media stories about products manufactured in the Chinese mainland reveal food products that have a heavy concentration of lead in tin containers.  Many toy products are laced with cheap toxic paint, making them deadly to children and toddlers.  Plastic plates and bowls are painted with an attractive but toxic resin, which makes eating a deadly pursuit. Some textiles are highly combustible when exposed to sunlight and become deadly clothing materials.  Kitchen utensils break easily.  Tablespoons have very rough or sharp edges that can cause needless injuries for diners.   Even the junk food contain monosodium glutamate.        

Except perhaps for certain products manufactured under the strict supervision of the foreign trademark owner, products from Communist China are very often of poor quality.         

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After hearing all that disturbing information, it is puzzling why the AFP plans to buy firearms from Communist China. 

From a practical perspective, firearms will be useless for a Philippine army that is far outnumbered by the so-called People’s Liberation Army, the armed forces of Beijing.  Firearms are also useless against artillery and aerial attacks.  If the AFP is to spend taxpayers’ money for defense, the AFP should instead consider acquiring surface-to-air missile equipment and technology.  Missiles can shoot down enemy aircraft and blow up enemy garrisons. 

More importantly, missiles are less expensive to maintain, compared to fighter jets and battleships.  Mobile missile launchers can be installed where they are needed, and are less prone to sabotage.  Of course, their exact locations must be a military secret at all times.   

Israel has state-of-the-art missile technology to defend itself against its enemies—and Israel has a lot of them in the Middle East.  What makes Israel strong and safe is their missile defense system. 

When Iraq went to war with its Middle East neighbors over Baghdad’s invasion of Kuwait in the late 1980s, Iraq tried to provoke Israel into joining the war by firing Scud missiles at Israeli targets.  The Israelis used anti-missile artillery, provided by the United States, to shoot down most of those missiles. 

Because of its peculiar location in the Middle East, particularly its proximity to Arab nations hostile to the existence of a Jewish state, Israel is always prepared for war.  Since preparations cost money, Israel’s anti-missile arsenal is a practical means of national defense. 

Manila can learn a lot from the Israeli military example.       

Speaking of missiles, the news media reported days ago that Communist China has installed rocket launchers on a disputed reef in the principal sea lane of South East Asia.  So far, the rockets are meant for Vietnamese miltary combat divers.  That’s understandable because the Chinese and the Vietnamese have been staunch enemies since ancient times.  Observers, however, believe that more rocket launchers will be installed there in the next few months, this time, to deter any Philippine civilian or military presence in the West Philippine Sea.     

Communist China’s military arsenal may be vast but it is dependent on cyber-technology.  This is where the Philippines can exploit a natural advantage.  The AFP may lack military muscle, but it can make up for this shortcoming by training military hackers to make a mess of enemy military technology during times of hostilities.  From all indications, Filipinos can actually be the best military hackers in the world. 

 Even so, perhaps those kids at cybershops spending endless hours online can prove to be useful in the long run.  Evidently, the Philippines is rich in this natural resource of potential military hackers. 

Beijing is so concerned about its international image that it has resorted to buying, on a regular basis, whole page advertisements in another local daily newspaper just portray itself as a peace-loving nation.  To dilute those lies peddled by Beijing, Manila must expose in the local and international media the pretentious bully Communist China really is. 

Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio recently launched his book on Beijing’s illegal incursions in the West Philippine Sea.  The material debunks whatever claim Communist China may have to the disputed sea lanes near the Philippines.  It also exposes Beijing as the lawless bully it pretends not to be.

Word has it that a Chinese-language translation of Carpio’s book will be published online.  Hopefully, when the private citizens of the communist country read the book, they will realize that their nation is treading the wrong path.  An angry citizenry at home may force Beijing to tone down on its maritime aggression.  

Meanwhile, the Philippines needs those missiles.

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