IT IS about time the Philippine media and chattering classes get unstuck from the quagmire that elite mainstream media has been miring the people in, the South China Sea dispute with its most known loudmouth, ex-justice Antonio Carpio and company, having the support of a minuscule 0.2 percent of Filipinos, based on a recent survey.
The real dream of the 110-million or so Filipinos is the recovery of their lost jobs and lost incomes, the revival of the languishing economy hit hard by the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and the sustainability of peace and stability in Asia in general and the Asean region in particular, to attain the dreams.
This very real sentiment of the Filipino people was finally expressed and reflected in an Online poll conducted by ‘Net 25-Radyo’ through its very popular TV-Radio-Online broadcast “Sa Ganang Mamamayan” hosted by Cong. Rodante D. Marcoleta and Gen Subardiaga.
Net 25-Radyo Agila can count on at least 3-million INC followers plus their broad personal following mainly due to a highly successful continuing congressional stint that features his phenomenal triumph in the struggle to delegitimize and disenfranchised the abusive and corrupt ABS-CBN.
The social and economic class the constituency of Net 25-Radyo Aguila also reflects the general sentiment of the country’s middle and lower-middle classes of hard working, job-holding and small self-employed sectors of the country, and distinct from the readers and audience of the upper-class media sources.
The dichotomy between the upper and middle to lower class constituencies can be gleaned from the recent Pulse Asia polls that was an indirect referendum on the real issues of the land – the presidential survey that had Sara Duterte and Bongbong Marcos leading while Carpio had only 0.2 percent of the polled votes.
There is no doubt about Carpio’s bid for the presidential derby, building on the single-issue of the so-called West Philippine Sea claim and his self-claim to fame for being the ‘man-behind-the-scene architect’ of the Philippine suit at the PCA and the arbitration “win” which President Duterte has finally junked as a mere “piece of paper”.
Congressman Rodante D. Marcoleta being a lawyer himself with a doctorate in Public Administration is very well versed with the details of the UNCLOS, absolutely aware of the futility of the one-sided PCA arbitration ruling with absolutely no chance of compliance or enforcement with China holding veto power at the U.N.
The party-list congressman seems to be as exasperated as the number of overwhelming realistic observers seeking positive developments and economic recovery for the country in the midst of the pandemic while watching the inane and endless misplaced focus on the WPS issue and Carpio by the mainstream media.
Around a week ago Cong. Marcoleta interviewed the very young but very competent international Relations expert and advocate Prof. Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy in his program “Sa Ganang Mamamayan” on the SCS issues, and this was followed a week later with an interview with Mr. Peter Tiu Laviña on the APCU Awards for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding.
The APCU stands for Association for Philippine-China Understanding, the oldest such organization in the Philippines whose leading members such as the late Dr. Benito Lim assisted President Marcos in the normalization of ties between the Philippines and China in the 70s and helped draft the decree for “naturalization of Deserving Aliens by Decree”.
The honorary chair of APCU today is former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and chairman is Atty. Raul Lambino, also head of the CEZA (Cagayan Economic Zone Authority). APCU is an officially recognized people-to-people organization by the People’s Republic of China (PROC). Its current president is Mr. Jeffrey Ng.
Through the interview with Mr. Peter Tiu Laviña where he discussed the positive relations of the Philippines with China and the many benefits accruing to the country. Net 25-Radyo Aguila conducted its Online survey with the question “Do you agree to strengthen friendship rather than conflict with China?” The Yes votes completely dominated, garnering 100 percent votes!
Of course, we have seen the endless surveys conducted by SWS and Pulse Asia on alleged Filipino views on China but we also see the obviously skewed questions these polls ask its respondents that can only invite negative remarks.
The Net 25-Radyo Aguila survey question, on the other hand, was simple and straightforward without any leading suggestions or insinuations.
I recall one line from Cong. Marcoleta in his interview with Prof. Anna Malindog-Uy, which I paraphrase, “Why would anyone consider China an enemy, isn’t it the only country that has donated and is providing vaccines the Philippines needs at this time? What have the other countries done to help?”
The 0.2 percent among us, in cahoots with the mercenary mainstream media, is spreading poison on Philippine-China relations precisely to distract attention from the great benefit Philippine-China friendship and cooperation is bringing to our people.
(Herman Tiu Laurel is an author and founder of the Phil-BRICS Strategic Studies think tank. Join his: “Power Thinks” every Wednesday 6pm Live on Global Talk News Radio [GTNR] on Facebook and Talk News TV on YouTube, and Every Sunday from 8am to 10am on RP1 738 on your AM radio dial.)