Like graceful swans swimming

We should never, ever let ourselves be duped into believing that the West Philippine Sea is a peaceful body of water in which navy swans gently swim, not a possible battleground.

Over the turbulent waters of the West Philippine Sea, the commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Romeo Brawner Jr., led the Philippines and the United States in a gallant and graceful nautical dance.

Act 2 saw the maestro, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., lift his baton to announce a future encore of collaborative marine excursions. However, China is now joining the stage from the left, adding sour notes to our sea symphony with her criticisms.

With the weight of a seasoned soloist, Teodoro declared that China’s opposition to the joint US-Philippine patrol in the West Philippine Sea is as unnecessary as a buzzing mosquito in a major opera.

On Sunday, the Philippines started its joint patrol in the WPS with Australia.

Teodoro asserted it is unquestionable that the Philippines has the right to waltz or perform the rumba anywhere in the WPS. Hearing it from him, it is evident that follow-ups are in the offing for the inaugural patrols conducted by the US and the Philippines last week.

He maintained that the Philippines is the only country with authority over all matters pertaining to the WPS, presumably alluding to the 2016 arbitral decision upholding the country’s 200 nautical mile claim to the region that borders the South China Sea.

His choreography revolves around the idea that the Philippines is perfectly entitled to invite other countries to join in on the dance with an elegant pirouette. Rather than question the Philippines’ unquestionable sovereignty, Teodoro’s and Brawner’s chorus pertains to our right to organize a maritime ball with a global flair.

Brawner crooned that the purpose of the joint patrol was not to embarrass China. Instead, it was only to see how well we could be in lock-step with Uncle Sam.  However, ultranationalist hawks are chirping happily behind the scenes, insisting that China’s protest was merely a poor serenade.

But was that just a whine? Is there anything to be worried about regarding future duets, particularly with the dragon from the East, whose confrontational nature is reputed to be as appetizing as a week-old dumpling?

We should never, ever let ourselves be duped into believing that the West Philippine Sea is a peaceful body of water in which navy swans gently swim, not a possible battleground.

China, like a sly fox, might just tilt the scales. Nonetheless, the US is invited to spin around into the storm at our side in the form of the Mutual Defense Treaty, a dance card signed with a pen.

Amid all this, America is purchasing 42,000 pairs of designer eyewear, not for the runway but to protect its pilots from Chinese laser light displays. Imagine pilots in slow-moving helicopters and propeller-powered aircraft, like our beloved Super Tucanos, enduring the dazzling assault of China’s laser show.

Like magicians with a taste for ostentatious stunts, it appears that the Chinese have embraced lasers. Records that the US Pentagon declassified last October tell of about 180 lethal confrontations that the People’s Liberation Army Navy instigated. The latest cutting-edge weapon is flash blindness, folks.

China has clearly expanded its laser display beyond the wings of this marine theater. They have toyed with an Australian P-8A, dazzled (and dazed) the US Navy, and even aimed their laser at a Philippine vessel that was on a resupply mission in February 2023. As an enraged conductor, the US chastises China for its laser-guided indiscretion.

Did China’s reaction to the joint patrol amount to nothing more than a whimper, a soft whisper in the orchestra pit? Be ready for the possibility that the sea could soon resound with a violent cry, a shout of protest directed at any upcoming nautical celebrations. Let the drama on the seas play out, but may the waves always be on our side.

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Credit belongs to: tribune.net.ph