Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Manila would file a diplomatic protest against Beijing for reneging on its promise not to continue its military buildup in the West Philippine Sea. Lorenzana’s statement was in stark contrast to the statement of Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque that “we have to trust China’s good faith “ in dealing with the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
You decide who’s talking more sense between the two officials of government. Secretary Lorenzana’s planned protest is based on aerial surveillance photos of Fiery Reef (Kagitingan) showing Chinese military installation complete with an air strip, garrison and placement of a missile system. The United States is concerned the military installations in the South China Sea would impede the free flow of international cargo vessels which pass through the SCS.
Roque’s “trust in China’s good faith” remark is based on pure and simple naivete. Roque these days is speaking more and more like himself, instead of speaking for and enunciating the president’s policy. Come to think of it, isn’t international relations the job of Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and not Roque’s?
Magdalo Party-List Rep. Gary Alejano decried the government stance of subservience to Beijing despite overwhelming military intelligence showing China’s artificial island-building is meant to advance its interest in the region.
Roque’s remark sounds more like he’s now speaking for China. We miss former Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella with his sound, sober statements. Too bad he was transferred to the DFA as Cayetano’s undersecretary. We are quite sure though Abella is an asset to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Thank God we still have a Lorenzana and an Abella in government. Philippine sovereignty is a serious matter. The international arbitration court in The Hague has already ruled in our favor. We need not flaunt this ruling using offensive language. But responsible officials should refer to The Hague decision in defense of our sovereign rights in territorial waters declared ours under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Our government officials should speak with one voice, particularly the key person speaking for the President. This, or the Chinese cabal in Beijing will continue laughing at us whenever it gets the report from its ambassador in Manila on how we simply fawn over China in our foreign policy.
Just throw those Filipinos lots of funds for infrastructure projects and feed them lavish lauriat dinners. and you can have them eating out of our hands seems to be the appeasement approach of China. The Chinese used to call the “American imperialists running dogs” during the Cold War. Are they now behind our back calling Filipinos as “lapdogs?”
Cimafranca at Consular
Ambassador Frank Cimafranca, DFA Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, explained how the department is dealing with an average of 15,000 passport applicants a day. He said that to prevent a backlog that would swamp consular employees, the DFA has set up satellite offices in strategic places like shopping malls. But these satellite passport offices can only handle 100 applicants and cannot cope with thousands of walk-in applicants. Cimafranca suggested that applicants instead go to the main Asean consular office on Macapagal Avenue to apply for new passports.
He pleaded with applicants not to renew their passports too early as this would only add to the number of passport processing. He said, however, that the consular office, on a case-to-case basis, will issue a passport as in an urgent need to travel because of a death in the family or if an Overseas Filipino Workers’ contract calls for a five-year valid passport.
Cimafranca pointed out that this problem has been addressed with the implementation of the 10-year validity of the Philippine passport. During a few times I had to help a relative or a friend apply for a new passport, I was impressed by the orderly processing of passport applications. The crowd at the Aseana main consular office is still teeming with thousands of applicants. But this is handled well by courteous consular staff. People line up but are immediately served once their numbers are called. Those who have online appointments can have their applications processed in less than an hour.
Cimafranca, who is due for foreign posting, will be missed Someone of lesser stuff would be overwhelmed with the sheer number of passport applicants daily. Not him, who runs a tight ship at the consular office.