IF YOU listened to the Senate debate this week on Senate Resolution No. 256, you would easily get the feeling that Senator Rodante Marcoleta was speaking for a different country. While Senator Francis Pangilinan kept his focus on the basics, Marcoleta dragged the discussion into a maze of “missing coordinates,” “metes and bounds,” and “undefined boundaries.”
Maybe he wanted to sound technical and impressive. At first, he did; until it became obvious that he was simply leading the discussion away from the real issue: China is intruding into waters that belong to us. Instead of defending our victory at The Hague, he seems strangely eager to question it.
So here is a short refresher for the good senator:
First: The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines on July 12, 2016.
Second: China’s 9-dash (now 10-dash) line was declared illegal.
Third: The ruling affirmed our sovereign rights over areas within our Exclusive Economic Zone which is roughly 381,000 to 500,000 sq. km. kilometers of waters.
And lastly: China continues to ignore this ruling, deploying over 135 maritime militia vessels to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as of 2023.
Yet despite these straightforward facts, Marcoleta was more eager to question our victory than defend it. He insisted we cannot claim the WPS unless we first draw exact coordinates on a map.
That argument is like winning a land case in court and then announcing you’re no longer sure where your own fence stands.
Meanwhile, China wastes no time. It does not ask for coordinates before parking its ships in our waters. It does not demand “metes and bounds” before building structures on our reefs. It acts aggressively while we debate decimals.
When a Philippine senator insists we cannot claim what we already won, the danger becomes real. Because his words do not strengthen but in fact weaken our sovereignty.
While our neighbors are grabbing our backyard, he is asking whether our fence is made of wood or concrete.
While China is cementing islands that used to be ours, he is questioning whether our map is precise enough.
While our fishermen are being harassed, he is obsessing over nautical mathematics.
This is neither nationalism nor patriotism. It is pure distraction.
Real patriotism is not loud speeches or complicated lectures. It is standing firm in defense of what is ours – our seas, our resources, and our future.
For the record, the West Philippine Sea is not just a foreign policy issue. It is about food on our tables, energy for our economy, and dignity for a nation bullied for far too long.
Our leaders must not muddle the issue. Their stand should be crystal clear:
The Hague ruling is final.
UNCLOS is clear.
The West Philippine Sea is ours.
It is almost amusing that Senator Marcoleta claims to defend Filipino interests when his arguments echo China’s talking points more than our own victory at The Hague.
Filipinos deserve senators who defend the Philippines; not senators who sound suspiciously like they’re defending someone else.
