REMARKS ON FORMER DILG SEC. R. ALUNAN III BEFORE THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA COALITION HELD TODAY, JULY 24, 2013, IN MAKATI CITY, A PROTEST ACTION AT THE CHINESE EMBASSY.
"x x x.
My Remarks at the July 24 Protest Rally
RMA Remarks at July 24, 2013 Protest Rally
Chinese Consulate, World Center, Buendia
Nandito kami para humarap sa inyo upang ibunyag ang aming mga damdamin. Bagamat itanong ninyo, “Sino ba kayo?”
We are the West Philippine Sea Coalition. We are an assembly of patriotic Filipinos who want to be left in peace but are standing up to be counted. We are a mixed race whose bloodlines stretch out to all parts of the world, including yours, because the Philippines is a crossroad where humanity converges.
We know the consulate is closed for so-called “security reasons”. We only want to convey to you what is in our hearts. But we also know that your agents are monitoring us and reporting to you. Hopefully, they are not agent provocateurs.
Peace be with you. We come to you today in the name of peace. We are neighbors. We have been long-time friends and trading partners, long before Magellan came to our shores 500 years ago. But today, we are deeply concerned and outraged about the way you’ve changed and behaved these past 20 years.
India is troubled, Japan is troubled, Vietnam is troubled, the Philippines is troubled. ASEAN is troubled. In fact, the Free World is troubled by your return to Mao Zedong’s dictum that “power grows out from the barrel of a gun.”
Whenever we diplomatically protest your intrusions, occupation and coercion in Mischief, Panatag and Ayungin, or ask you to settle the matter before a court of law, you threaten us with counterstrike. That is 20th century conduct unbecoming of an aspiring world leader in the 21st century.
We also want to make this clear to the people of China: We are not against you – REPEAT - not against you. We regard you as our friends. Our protest is directed at your government’s home invasion of our EEZ.
We want China to be a good neighbor. Turn back while there is still time to avert a future clash of arms. We do not own the natural resources or what is also called the “global commons” in our EEZ. It is there for humanity. We are but stewards.
There are many things we can do together to protect and develop the global commons for humanity’s benefit. In that spirit of collaboration and cooperation let us rechannel our energies to humanitarian assistance, peace and order, and improving the human development index.
For example, together with other responsible member states of the world community, we could:
· collaborate on disaster risk mitigation;
· combat transnational crimes and terror;
· and promote quality of life for lasting peace and sustainabledevelopment.
We reject violence or war as the way to resolve disputes. That is clearly written in our Constitution. We prefer to reason. That is the way of lawful and civilized nations. Let us see each other in ITLOS, not in the battlefield.
You are the world’s second most powerful economy and a permanent member of the UN’s Security Council. With great power comes great responsibility to help ensure human and ecological security.
Therefore, let us endeavor to have a thousand years of harmony and prosperity. Let us base it on mutual respect and the common good. Discard the 9-Dash Line, which is causing the region so much trouble. Let truth prevail!
But if you persist in heightening our insecurity, you will leave us no other option but to defend our sovereignty and freedom, small as we are. We have a long history of resistance and you are well-advised that “MASAMANG MAGALIT ANG PINOY!”
We are also here to demonstrate our solidarity with our government. It has taken a sober approach to dispute resolution. We commend DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario for his heroic stand as David versus Goliath in the diplomatic arena.
We also applaud the efforts to make up for lost time to upgrade our armed forces. They need the proper and sufficient means to protect our EEZ, defend our territorial integrity and uphold national honor. Without it, our national security will continue to be placed at risk. It must be a top priority until the mission is accomplished.
The West Philippine Sea Coalition also has an important message to all Filipinos wherever they may be: Let us unite to meet every threat, every lie, every deception with principled reason and dignified defiance in all arenas of human undertaking.
Magkaisa tayo sa layuning “isang maunlad, makatarungan, mapayapa at malayang Pilipinas!”
Our last message pertains to one of Asia’s most widely read novels, the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. It is about imperial and modern China thatgives the Chinese people a clear sense of how they view their history in a cyclical lens.
The novel’s famous opening lines summarize this view: It is a general truism of this world thatanything long divided will surely unite, and anything long united will surelydivide (話說天下大勢，分久必合，合久必分”.
With that, we leave China with these thoughts: the ball is round (bilog ang bola) – what goes ‘round comes ‘round; the Law of Karma is real; step away from the precipice; return to peaceful rise. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with us.
Mabuhay ang Filipino! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
Chinese Consulate, World Center, Buendia
Nandito kami para humarap sa inyo upang ibunyag ang aming mga damdamin. Bagamat itanong ninyo, “Sino ba kayo?”
We are the West Philippine Sea Coalition. We are an assembly of patriotic Filipinos who want to be left in peace but are standing up to be counted. We are a mixed race whose bloodlines stretch out to all parts of the world, including yours, because the Philippines is a crossroad where humanity converges.
We know the consulate is closed for so-called “security reasons”. We only want to convey to you what is in our hearts. But we also know that your agents are monitoring us and reporting to you. Hopefully, they are not agent provocateurs.
Peace be with you. We come to you today in the name of peace. We are neighbors. We have been long-time friends and trading partners, long before Magellan came to our shores 500 years ago. But today, we are deeply concerned and outraged about the way you’ve changed and behaved these past 20 years.
India is troubled, Japan is troubled, Vietnam is troubled, the Philippines is troubled. ASEAN is troubled. In fact, the Free World is troubled by your return to Mao Zedong’s dictum that “power grows out from the barrel of a gun.”
Whenever we diplomatically protest your intrusions, occupation and coercion in Mischief, Panatag and Ayungin, or ask you to settle the matter before a court of law, you threaten us with counterstrike. That is 20th century conduct unbecoming of an aspiring world leader in the 21st century.
We also want to make this clear to the people of China: We are not against you – REPEAT - not against you. We regard you as our friends. Our protest is directed at your government’s home invasion of our EEZ.
We want China to be a good neighbor. Turn back while there is still time to avert a future clash of arms. We do not own the natural resources or what is also called the “global commons” in our EEZ. It is there for humanity. We are but stewards.
There are many things we can do together to protect and develop the global commons for humanity’s benefit. In that spirit of collaboration and cooperation let us rechannel our energies to humanitarian assistance, peace and order, and improving the human development index.
For example, together with other responsible member states of the world community, we could:
· collaborate on disaster risk mitigation;
· combat transnational crimes and terror;
· and promote quality of life for lasting peace and sustainabledevelopment.
We reject violence or war as the way to resolve disputes. That is clearly written in our Constitution. We prefer to reason. That is the way of lawful and civilized nations. Let us see each other in ITLOS, not in the battlefield.
You are the world’s second most powerful economy and a permanent member of the UN’s Security Council. With great power comes great responsibility to help ensure human and ecological security.
Therefore, let us endeavor to have a thousand years of harmony and prosperity. Let us base it on mutual respect and the common good. Discard the 9-Dash Line, which is causing the region so much trouble. Let truth prevail!
But if you persist in heightening our insecurity, you will leave us no other option but to defend our sovereignty and freedom, small as we are. We have a long history of resistance and you are well-advised that “MASAMANG MAGALIT ANG PINOY!”
We are also here to demonstrate our solidarity with our government. It has taken a sober approach to dispute resolution. We commend DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario for his heroic stand as David versus Goliath in the diplomatic arena.
We also applaud the efforts to make up for lost time to upgrade our armed forces. They need the proper and sufficient means to protect our EEZ, defend our territorial integrity and uphold national honor. Without it, our national security will continue to be placed at risk. It must be a top priority until the mission is accomplished.
The West Philippine Sea Coalition also has an important message to all Filipinos wherever they may be: Let us unite to meet every threat, every lie, every deception with principled reason and dignified defiance in all arenas of human undertaking.
Magkaisa tayo sa layuning “isang maunlad, makatarungan, mapayapa at malayang Pilipinas!”
Our last message pertains to one of Asia’s most widely read novels, the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. It is about imperial and modern China thatgives the Chinese people a clear sense of how they view their history in a cyclical lens.
The novel’s famous opening lines summarize this view: It is a general truism of this world thatanything long divided will surely unite, and anything long united will surelydivide (話說天下大勢，分久必合，合久必分”.
With that, we leave China with these thoughts: the ball is round (bilog ang bola) – what goes ‘round comes ‘round; the Law of Karma is real; step away from the precipice; return to peaceful rise. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with us.
Mabuhay ang Filipino! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
x x x."
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