Friday, August 30, 2019

Duterte’s Double-Edged Sword Diplomacy

Photo from South China Morning Post
By Chester B Cabalza

Blogger's Notes:
Commentary of an Academic 
(Copyright @ 2019 by Chester B Cabalza. All Rights Reserved).


Rodrigo Duterte, the first Philippine president from Mindanao, has recently staged a climactic tribute mission to Beijing to discuss the volatile sea row and harvest unfulfilled economic pledges from China. Taking a bolder step in the negotiating table to Asia’s most powerful country, he elevates the Philippines’ national interests over sovereignty rights and maintaining peaceful regional security architecture emanating from his promises to the Filipino people since his election in 2016.

His fifth visit to Beijing bears a critical success in managing risk assessment and treatment to the escalating global insecurity affecting the South China Sea (SCS) including the proliferation of trade war between the United States and China. Understandably, the ultimate goal of China reflects the goals of the Communist Party of China (CPC), declaring the SCS as a core interest which may become a prerogative of the CPC. Hence, the survival of the regime is premised on the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) strengths and capability to consolidate and unify China’s lost territories.

In October 2016, Chinese president Xi Jinping initially rolled out his red carpet to Southeast Asia’s strongman. Duterte’s state visit pompously tested the waters of friendship and repaired the broken lines held two months after the Philippines won the arbitral award spelling out China’s excessive maritime entitlements and violations on sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Philippines.

China responded aggressively by militarizing the artificial islands that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) built in order to strengthen China’s anti access and area denial (A2/AD) capabilities that would limit the strategic capabilities of the United States including other Southeast Asian claimant-countries to deter future offensive actions. Intermittent aggressions of continental China to archipelagic Philippines spurred through constant close-in air and sea surveillance and reconnaissance to unveil its own strategic ambiguity and gray zone strategy. The ambiguity on how Beijing is communicating the issue on its forceful defense of the SCS is a core national interest that is seen risky by the international community. Thus, the strategic ambiguity intends to induce uncertainties that will affect the decision making process of another white elephant in the room which is the US foreign affairs with the Philippines.

On the other hand, it also allowed the former Davao City mayor to loosen up on Beijing by accommodating a paradigm shift and preferential treatment for Chinese plane seen in the country’s largest city in June 2018. The recurrent passage of foreign ships through Philippines’ territorial waters without securing a clearance from Philippine government became problematic recently. But critics blamed Manila’s policy of silence on asserting the arbitral award while Duterte seems to temporarily refrain from opposing on Chinese belligerence by resorting to economic and diplomatic rapprochements at the strategic level while the Philippines aspires for a robust defense posture by hedging to opposing regional rivals, China and the United States, setting a strategic acquiescence of economic gains and simultaneous military buildup.

In sum, the use of dashes and not solid lines illustrate the compromises that may be accommodated in the future. Two strengths of China’s flexing of muscle specify the militarization of occupied features in the SCS and the modernization of the PLA and its maritime forces. Apparently, China has invested heavily in technology development as a primary driver of China’s de facto control of the contested waters.

Duterte’s annual visits to the Middle Kingdom recreates the infancy of the Philippines and China diplomatic relations that paved way in 1417 when a Sulu royalty from Mindanao, Paduka Batara, also known as the “eastern king” sailed to Hangzhou for bridging diplomacy to Ming dynasty’s Emperor Yongle. The emperor was responsible in transferring the seat of power to Beijing, where the Filipino and Chinese monarchs met. During Yongle’s reign, he marvelously built the Forbidden City, amidst the dynasty’s maritime expansion while consolidating China’s hard power.

The machination of economic security bolstered Beijing and Manila’s warming relationship  for almost four years since the two prominent Asian leaders inked a strategic partnership paving a way for China’s growing regional centrality in the Indo-Pacific and solving China’s Malacca dilemma on its economic efforts to tame Southeast Asian neighbors. The Philippine president recognized China’s Belt Road Initiatives (BRI) by solidly supporting it to finance his ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure programs, apparently shown through his annual participation to the Belt Road Forums (BRF) in different cities of China since 2017 to this year.

The two populist and strongmen opted to foster a strategic partnership to slow down coercing activities; however, there are a number of high and low armed conflicts in the contested SCS that raised the bar of Chinese dominance. The June 2019 ramming incident of Chinese militia to a Philippine fishing vessel in the oil-rich Reed Bank in the Spratlys archipelago within the Philippines’ EEZ had outwitted Manila’s soft power and the use of legal means. Only in November 2017 when the two countries permitted a framework for joint exploration undersea through a Mutual of Understanding (MOU) on Energy Cooperation thereby suggesting a majority of share to the Philippines.

Lastly, Duterte’s longest state visit yet to Beijing has tested his maturing diplomatic and trading skills in dealing with the erudite President Xi to prove to the Filipino people that China can also become a true friend of the Philippines. Moving forward, Xi’s past visit to Manila laid down the controversial MOU on Energy Cooperation as a roadmap for the joint oil and gas exploration of the two countries amidst solving their differences in disputed Reed Bank. Meanwhile, Duterte’s current visit to Beijing allows the next step for a possible Terms of Reference (TOR) for proper implementation of the megaproject. Hence, the arbitral ruling and joint exploration may reach an end result of successful risk management to safeguard maritime rights and economic interests to realize a matured cooperation with the acceleration of the Code of Conduct (CoC) in the SCS.  

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Calauit Safari, Palawan

Photographs by CBCabalza. Copyright © 2019 by Chester B. Cabalza. All Rights Reserved.

These giraffes and zebras are island-born, second generation species from Kenyan safari. All of their parents died already after evolving in this island surviving from indigenous plants in Calauit since 1976! #feelslikegalapagos #darwinian #anthropologist









Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Beijing Spots Black Swan in Hong Kong’s Wave of Protest

Photo from The New York Times
By Chester B Cabalza

Blogger's Notes:
Commentary of an Academic 
(Copyright @ 2019 by Chester B Cabalza. All Rights Reserved).

“Why the hell Pepe the frog encroaches in all of Hong Kong’s graffiti?” he asks a Hong Kongese  from a chat.

“It’s a hate symbol for tyrant Chinese administrators!” she suspiciously laments.

“Aren’t you Chinese, right?”

“Of course not!” she freaks out. “Hong Kong is part of China but I’m a proud Hong Konger!” she refutes and continues, “unlike the Chinese mainlanders, people of HK have guaranteed freedoms – the right to protest, the right to a press freedom, and freedom of speech!” she pens with confidence, assuredly, provided by the Hong Kong Basic Law.

End of chat.

Based from the 2016 demographic data of Hong Kong, permanent residents in this fat Cantonese megacity hold a Hong Kong Permanent Identity card as well as the right of abode. Populated by ethnic Chinese from mainland China, mostly from newly-industrialized Guandong province; Taiwan; and Macao; while largest non-Chinese residents being Filipinos and Indonesians (just watch Hello, Love, Goodbye, for that matter).

It’s a fact that Hong Kong belongs to China, but it has its own currency, political system, cultural identity; and, considered as an international smart city. Fortified by a policy dubbed as “one country, two systems” since its handover at midnight on 1 July 1997 to the People’s Republic of China.

The now-shelved, controversial extradition bill opened a lot of Pandora’s Box to China’s 22 years old rule in Hong Kong, unifying permanent and non-permanent residents to demand for full democracy and police accountability against Beijing’s Tiananmen option on the use of military force to quell and suppress the escalating ahimsa protest. Certainly, what started as a movement against a controversial law has expanded into something much bigger security concerns.

Undeniably, Beijing is losing its face again in the international community for its lack of strategic foresight in taming the shrew. Hong Kong, a former British colony and an economic gem that inspired Deng Xiaoping, including his successors, to dream bigger for China by setting up a number of colossal and coastal economic hub. Currently, overpopulated and prosperous to rival western business and financial acumen by expanding their economic global clout.

The unstoppable movement in Hong Kong turns out to be a black swan. Black swans are rare. It has high-impact events that have large magnitude and consequence in history. Black swan can be used as a tool to see the future that can be volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous in nature; occurring in frequency that may cause harm in the anarchic international system.  

The belief that swans are always white. It becomes apparent and unique when the white swan turns out to be a black swan that carries a metaphor of fragility in any system of thought. China has seen several black swans from their own Chinese Lake from the Opium War to the Tiananmen massacre. However, a post-modern black swan spotted in Hong Kong can become a litmus test for China's bid for political and economic superpower. Nonetheless, the occurrences of black swan events are increasing and accelerating at a fast-paced in this changing and uncertain times ruled by strongmen and populist leaders. Although, black swans randomly appear by chance, hence, it sometimes impossible to predict. 

If China fails to catch with approving grace the black swan, it will keep on spreading a swine flu to Hong Kong dissents from today and even tomorrow. These black swans are contagious that it may even swim to as far as Taiwan, the Philippines, and other neighboring countries to challenge Beijing's concocted harmonious society!

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Coron, Palawan (Paradise Made on Earth)

  Photographs by CBCabalza. Copyright © 2019 by Chester B. Cabalza. All Rights Reserved.

"Thank God, you blessed the Philippines with a paradise"

I have more superlative words to describe Coron! Arguably, the best paradise made on Earth. Coron is a magical, wonderful, and colorful islands, limestones, and beaches! You're so beautiful, Coron!













Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Luzon Island needs ‘Synergy of Stakeholders’ in Combating Terrorism

Photo from Ilocandia
By Chester B Cabalza

Blogger's Notes:
Commentary of an Academic 
(Copyright @ 2019 by Chester B Cabalza. All Rights Reserved).

Four days ago, the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag, beefed up its contingency measures. Yesterday, the city government of Tuguegarao, home to an 18th-century Baroque church and is a gateway to Cagayan Valley's Our Lady of Piat, has temporarily suspended a “no helmet, no travel” policy until August 20, due to threats of terrorism. This concern arises after at least two alleged terrorist crusaders from Sri Lanka have sneaked into the Philippines to train local militants on making bombs and attacking churches and other soft targets north of the Philippines.

Only last January 27th this year, jihadi terrorist suicide bombers in Jolo’s Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, killed at least 20 churchgoers and 111 people. The use of improvised explosive devices containing ammonium nitrate pipe bombs that exploded inside and outside the church may be similar to the tactic used by terrorists in the 2002 Bali blasts that ebbed fear by inflicting additional casualties to first responders in a widespread act of violence to Filipinos in southern Mindanao. 

The Easter bombing in Colombo at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, presumed to be an Islamic retaliation to Christians, after the bloody Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand by a white supremacist, confusedly created a breed of terrorists. This time, crusader cities is used by the ISIS in describing target areas to fuel what they call 'Bandar Crusade,' or war between Muslim and Christian, spotting on crusader churches to attack and bomb, for all its historic and heritage value to Christian believers.   

Trailing the holy grail of heritage churches from Vigan to Laoag, undeniably, the Ilocandia region prides itself the UNESCO world heritage house of worship in Paoay and other iconic cathedrals of former Spanish stronghold in Nueva Segovia. Not in the list is the Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia in Bicol region, south of Metro Manila, which will be celebrating its famed fluvial parade next month, could also be a possible target in sowing terror and violence from crusader terrorists.

Luzon in general, with all the strings of pilgrimage sites from northern and southern Luzon, is definitely vulnerable to any acts of Islamic terrorism, notwithstanding the fact, that these destinations are resilient to communist terrorism. The need for ‘synergy of stakeholders’ and the ‘whole of nation approach’ in preventing violent extremism and combating terrorism includes participation from the local government units in preparing contingency measures for civilians’ public safety and the community’s possible destruction from the havoc of terror as part of the human-induced disaster risk management, aside from the effective counterintelligence of the military and proper law enforcement of the police. We need to empower all stakeholders in peace-building and conflict prevention.  

Certainly the foreign fighter and suicide bombing threats have tremendously evolved. It has morphed into a global network that has turned into a cottage industry for small terror group actors. This vivid and wide-range networking of foreign fighters fostered by global religious brotherhood has infiltrated the online recruitment and tactical operations of terror clusters, notwithstanding the financial and intelligence support of each group. Ferocious female and children foreign warriors are used in this strategic warfare redounding to their own legal advantage for which the presence of local and international laws can protect them from felony.

This silverlining in understanding terrorism and violent extremism have brought a mix of socioeconomic marginalization, political corruption, and ignorance towards crusaders and foreign fighters which have created a time bomb for the Philippines, particularly in addressing the escalating security threat. Hence, the presence of foreign suicide bombers and fighters in the Philippine soil hinders the elusive peace hoped for by Christians, Muslims and the indigenous peoples in Mindanao. We have seen the shift in DAESH’s operational methods from caliphate-building to waging insurgency as terrorist groups persist and continue to demonstrate resilience by employing all means to spread deceptive and violent ideologies.

Finally, the holistic effort for the reintegration process of foreign suicide bombers and fighters should bring synergy of efforts from different stakeholders including the government, civil society and the local community. Education and equal employment opportunities should be addressed to widen the awareness of Filipino citizens drawn into poverty and ignorance. The Philippine government should also consider the maritime border security along its northern and southern coastlines that would determine who and what is allowed and denied in access to the state’s territory that creates a confluence of actions from various stakeholders in upholding its territorial integrity and national sovereignty.