Grow up, kiddos! Open our eyes!

THE incident last June 17, 2024, near Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea where the Chinese Coast Guard forcibly boarded the resupply mission for our stationed troops there by a combined civilian and military contingent from our side elicited indignation from most Filipinos, especially after one of our military personnel, Phil. Navy 1^st Class Jeffrey Facundo, lost his right thumb in the ensuing collision.

Why nobody expressed concern over the presence of our military personnel during the mission—indicating we are now resorting to a ‘military option’ in confronting the (civilian) Chinese Coast Guard– we need not discuss here.

However, that embarrassing moment when our soldiers’ firearms were seized by the Chinese wielding axes, knives and other blunt instruments only showed they were dispatched there with no clear instruction on what they must do when a confrontation occurred (and which indeed happened).

The AFP has a standing policy—consider it a ‘heinous crime’– for any soldier to be disarmed by an adversary. Thus, instead of a medal, that poor Facundo and his fellow soldiers should have been court-martialed– along with the officers who sent them there.

Anyway, the not-so surprising aftermath of the incident should have made everyone realized that yes, Jose, the Americans and its puppet “allies” in the West (Japan included) would not come barreling over the waves to save the day. Talk of that US’ ‘iron-clad’ commitment to defend us based on our MDT with them, hahaha!

Indeed, some of our officials described the CCG’s action as an “aggressive act” by China, even comparing it to “piracy.”

But where is the US Navy to impose its “rules-based international order” when we need it? Recall that off the coast of Somalia and other parts of Africa, the US Navy and its Western minions are all over the place to teach the Somalians bitter lessons on the evil of high-seas piracy.

Repeatedly, we have been told that America is never our “friend” and that when push come to shove, we would be left high and dry by Uncle Sam— just look at the regimes they propped up in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.

When it’s time for the Americans to leave, they simply leave—regardless of the destruction and humanitarian tragedy that resulted from their rosy words and promises. In this regard, Ukraine and its “expired” president, Zelensky (his presidential term ended last May 20), should be properly warned.

The latest reminder that Uncle Sam never is our friend came from another American, Scott Ritter, only last June 12, when he said the United States never considers us as its “friend.” Ritter made the blunt statement during an event at the National Press Club in Washington.

Even if we are supposed to have fully achieved our independence in 1945 as an American colony, US leaders and policy makers, Ritter noted, continue to treat us as their “colony.” As Ritter admonished, Filipinos must “grow up!”

Despite this latest warning, is the United States, owing to our “long historical shared history,” really, fully, committed to defend us against China?

Or is it the same “America has no friends, only permanent interests” situation as enunciated by former US State Secretary John Foster Dulles during the Eisenhower administration?

Consider this:

Aside from now being the most heavily indebted country in the world ($34 trillion in debt and rising), the US is militarily involved in places more strategic, insofar as its global interests are concerned—West Asia (Middle East) and Eastern Europe (Ukraine).

And in these places, we can see that it is has been a series of disasters and embarrassment for the United States that made other countries seriously doubt its credibility, or what is left of it, anyway.

In the Middle East, the US, tails between its legs, had to leave the Red Sea after being unable to fight off the attacks on its Navy and commercial vessels (that America vowed to “protect”) by the Houthis based in Yemen.

In Ukraine, all its vaunted (and that of NATO) military hardware proved unequal to those of Russia—their metallic remains now on display in an open door “museum” in Moscow.

Complicating the matter, US defense secretary Lloyd Austin had to call his Russian counterpart, Andrei Belousov, after Russia directly accused America of involvement in the unending terrorist activities of the Zelensky regime, the latest of which, the attack by an American missile (ATACM) in the Crimea last June 23.

This “terrorist act” (according to US Senator Robert Kennedy Jr.) targeted vacationers at a beach resort that resulted to the death of 4 civilians, 2 of them children, while wounding over 150 other civilians.

Austin had to make the call two days after the attack, on June 25, to humble himself before Belousov, after Russia vowed to avenge that US-sponsored terrorist act.

Now, what is more important for the Americans? The possibility of Russian missiles hitting the beaches of Florida or the Filipinos asserting their maritime rights in Ayungin Shoal?

And yes, 2024 is an election year in the United States, a moment critical to Pres. Joe Biden as his job is now on the line.

This is a period where the Biden administration would not want any “bad” issue to be talked about in public, so much so that for the sake of his re-election, Biden agreed to free Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, whom US Imperialism has pursued relentlessly for over a dozen years now.

The Americans realize that while they want a war with China, this would be the worst possible time to do it via its proxy, the Philippines.

Simply put, the US cannot afford to wage war in the Middle East and Ukraine, grapple with its worsening economy and at the same time release its dogs of war in the South China Sea with Biden struggling to keep his seat as president.

It is indeed, time for us to grow up, kiddos! Le us open our eyes, hane?