SOMETHING must have been lost in translation during the one-on-one meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese leader Xi Jinping
The glitch in gab triggered talks of China’s threat to go war if the Philippines insists in drilling for oil in the West Philippine Sea near the disputed South China Sea. Following the furor in Manila, Beijing said there was no threat but merely an expression of the consequences if oil exploration is undertaken by the Philippines on territory the Chinese had claimed.
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, nonetheless, suggested the Philippines file a protest with the United Nations which prohibits the use of force in settling territorial dispute. This, Carpio said, is the step the Philippines should take if it decides not to file a diplomatic protest against China. Beijing has a track record of totally ignoring Manila’s diplomatic protest since the Chinese takeover of Scarborough Shoal and the ensuing militarization of the South China Sea
Philippine Ambassador to China, Chito Sta. Romana, clarified the issue when he said that there was no threat in the bilateral panel discussion he attended in Beijing, But he admitted he was not present in the one-on-one meeting between Duterte and Xi.
If so, was there a Filipino diplomat with Duterte who could have translated what Xi actually said.?
Was the one-on-one talk between the two leaders done in the English language? Why was Ambassador Sta. Romana not present considering the nuances of language and the delicate subject matter? Sta. Romana was appointed to the Beijing post because he is fluent in Mandarin, having spent nearly 20 years in China as an exile during the Marcos martial law regime. He was also assigned as Beijing bureau manager of the American TV network ABC channel 7.
President Rodrigo Duterte is in Russia for a five-day official visit. Aside from Moscow where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he is also scheduled to travel to the historic and beautiful St. Petersburg.
There is no contentious issue between Manila and Moscow. Nevertheless, we expect President Duterte this time will be accompanied by a Filipino diplomat fluent in Russian so there would be no more problem in the nuances of language.
What Duterte says in his meeting with Putin and what will be signed between the two countries after his visit are being closely watched by Washington and the US State Department. Before he departed for Moscow, Duterte said he wants precision bombs from his Russian hosts.
If Duterte does not get the armaments he wants, we hope he does not vent his ire with a “Putin ina mo” expletive.
Cease talks on peace talks
Reader Mel Amado, a wandering wit, has this to say on the current peace talks between the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines /National Democratic Front panel going on in Oslo, Norway.
“Cease talks,” Amado said as he punned the peace talks that had been going on for decades without any result because of contentious issues. The latest demand of the Joma Sison group is free land for farmers.
Amado said it’s a waste of government funds since the CPP/NDF panel has no control over its military arm, the New People’s Army. The NPA continues its armed rebellion, ambushing government troops even as the peace talks are going on between the two sides in Norway.
Amado has a point as the NPA activity in the Philippines rural areas has been nothing but banditry and extortion of business companies located outside the urban areas. The NPA has also added revolutionary taxes on politicians who want to campaign in areas where it has a strong presence. Politicians who want to ensure their election pay up and contribute to the NPA coffers.