The moment of truth for every Filipino

Some of our senators cannot hide their latent obeisance to China in the West Philippine Sea dispute. In confronting China over territorial claims, they give China the benefit of the doubt while casting doubt on the veracity of our claims, questioning the procedural and technical details of our borders. Puny and laughable as we are in the eyes of China, we definitely own our 370-kilometer boundary, as defined by the hard-earned, undisputable arbitral award granted to us under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

These senators argue that China’s claim over our territories must be handled with utmost diplomacy; otherwise, there are repercussions to overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong, or China’s fearsome naval armada could pulverize us anytime. They are in fact telling us that after more than 200 diplomatic protests, we should be meek and let the enemy’s coast guards ram our fishermen’s boats or treat us like pests in our own territories by mercilessly hosing down our fisherfolk with water cannons.

Here’s a relevant note in history on the heroic stand of former Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos when faced with the challenge to show love of country.

“It is an honor to die for one’s country. Not everybody has that chance. Live up to our name,” Abad Santos comforted Pepito, his grieving son, hours before he was executed by a Japanese squad in Malabang, Lanao on May 2, 1942. He refused to be blindfolded. He was all of 56 years old.

What was his alleged crime against the occupying forces? As acting Commonwealth president, when then President Manuel Quezon and his Cabinet left for exile in the United States, Santos refused to betray his country by collaborating with the enemy.

May I remind these senators of the realm: what legacy will they leave future generations of Filipinos with their verbose antics kowtowing to China’s interests, when they are long gone?