A symbolic show

The tension surrounding the disputed Spratly islands affair has eased somewhat after armed Chinese ships withdrew last Friday. But the dispute will continue to be a thorn in the side of Philippine-Chinese relations until it is finally and peacefully resolved.

But not only the Philippines and China are involved in the dispute. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam are also claiming a stake in the islands.

For the sake of peace in the region, the Spratlys issue has to be resolved as soon as possible. In the meantime, measures have to be taken to ensure last week's intrusion is not repeated.

Various ways have been suggested to deal with the problem. Some senators urge the matter of Chinese intrusion into the Spratlys be raised before the United Nations. But Foreign Undersecretary Rodolfo Severino said the government would prefer to discuss the issue bilaterally with China as well as with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.

China is a dialog partner of ASEAN together with the United States and Japan. The issue could also be discussed at the workshop series on the South China Sea sponsored by Indonesia. Whichever method and forum is chosen, an intensive effort should be made to settle the controversy once and for all, so that peace and security will reign in the disputed area.

In the meantime, the government would do well to speed up the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines so that it could back up its diplomatic protests with more than just a symbolic show of force. More accurately, what we saw was a display of weakness -- the weakness of our obsolescent and dilapidated fleets of ships and airplanes.

There's nothing like a display of men and material to make other nations respect you. That's why the Soviet Union was feared in its time as a superpower. That's why North Korea, despite its starving masses, is still perceived as a big threat to the peace and security of Asia. And that's why China is respected in all the councils and forums of the world.

Diplomatic notes and protests may be very civilized and proper, but ultimately, it is jet planes and missile ships which will prevent other countries from treating a nation as a doormat.

-- The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila