LAST Monday, May 17, during his televised 'Talk to the People,' President Rodrigo 'Digong' Duterte forbade Cabinet members from discussing publicly the West Philippine Sea issue. He also specifically said Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. would henceforth be the sole speaker on the matter.

The following day, guess who disregarded Digong's directive? You would be right if you think it was his shameless and thick-faced Foreign Affairs Secretary, Teodoro 'Tweeterboy' Locsin Jr.

For how can anyone in his place still be around after Digong totally ignored and embarrassed him by inviting former senator Juan Ponce Enrile for his views and advice on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) dispute? Digong didn't even see it fit to ask him to join the meeting! He then instructed his Cabinet members, except for Roque, not to speak on the issue.

Isn't that a clear and unmistakable loss of confidence in Locsin by Digong?

Overwhelmed perhaps by his own belief he is 'the only expert on the subject [WPS problem] bar none,' he just couldn't stop himself from tweeting that:

'Duterte is completely correct. It [the arbitral award] is meaningless for now - for the purpose of retaking possession of what China took from us because we let it.'

'Retaking possession of what China took from us?' Dream on!

'If passage is forced our Navy will fight and that would trigger the Mutual Defense Treaty [MDT], World War 3 hereabouts and nuclear winter in our tropical latitude would set in,' Locsin added.

An unabashed true believer and worshiper of the US indeed! The MDT is another piece of paper that should have been trashed a long time ago.

It might open his eyes to ask his Asean counterparts if any one of them has a mutual defense treaty with the US. He will be terribly disappointed. None of them has!

Incidentally, three weeks ago we suggested in this space Digong should simply ignore the vacuous statements on the WPS problem of ex-foreign secretary Albert 'Super Amboy' del Rosario and ex-Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio.

We were delighted when Digong said he would do that after Enrile advised him to do so.

Roque says Locsin also authorized?

Surprisingly, who should come out of the blue and say only he and Locsin were authorized by Digong to speak on the WPS dispute.

I watched the televised talk of Digong. He clearly and specifically mentioned only Roque.

Is Roque trying to wriggle out of the responsibility?

The absence of any correction from Digong himself says his instructions stay. Or does it? The man is known to completely ignore Locsin's antics.

But definitely, it is unmistakably clear he has lost confidence in Locsin. So, why is the fellow still around?

VFA, MDT, EDCA should be abrogated

Digong categorically said he wants the US to 'leave us alone and live in peace, not to impose on us again its imperialistic might and give us the dignity of being a true republic.'

None of that will happen as long as American troops and military bases are in our midst. None! Haven't we learned our lesson after years of US colonial and neo-colonial domination?

So, why is he talking about renegotiating the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)? Didn't he say he wants that agreement abrogated?

One rare instance when 'Tweeterboy' Locsin said something that made sense was that the abrogation of the VFA would make the MDT and the EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) mere pieces of paper. Brilliant! We couldn't agree more.

Wouldn't that be nice, Mr. President? Shooting three birds with one stone?!

Goal achieved! You become the greatest president this country will ever have!

Abrogation will be Digong's greatest legacy

In December last year, we wrote:

Lately, we have been hearing from the US its oft-repeated assurance it has our backs covered. Against whom? The Chinese?

What exactly have the Chinese been doing aside from seizing and reclaiming reefs and shoals that belong to us and turning them into military garrisons in the South China Sea (SCS) and the WPS?

Oh yes, they are now regularly intruding into our territorial waters and exclusive economic zone ever since, speaking of which, how about the US putting its money where its mouth is by helping us patrol the areas mentioned?

The US did not cover our backs when China did the seizing and reclaiming of reefs and shoals that belong to us. The US knew what the Chinese were up to - to put a stop to the total domination of the SCS/WPS by the US whose Seventh Fleet has forever been plying the area.

But when we protested against the Chinese move and sought the help of the US, we were simply told it was 'neutral' when it comes to territorial disputes.

Instead of helping us, the US bamboozled the Noynoy Aquino administration into filing a protest against China's move before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and urged the hiring of American lawyers at the reported cost of P700 million.

As everyone knows, the PCA rendered a ruling favorable to us without China agreeing to and participating in the arbitration proceedings, a conditio sine qua non for any arbitration case, thus rendering the PCA's ruling questionable in its validity in international law.

Be as it may, the US and some of its Western allies, including Japan and South Korea now merrily express their unqualified support for the PCA ruling. Nonetheless, that does not set the ruling, in my view, aright. That is why it has not found support among the huge majority of the UN members.

In fact, it has not even found support among all the other members of Asean!

The newly found generosity of the US to donate arms and other military hardware to us, although belatedly, is very much welcome and appreciated. They will certainly help us in combating terrorism and the local insurgents.

However, the government surely must realize no amount of such donations from the US will ever be sufficient to make us battle-ready to face a Chinese military onslaught, albeit remotely possible.

Fortunately, we do not foresee such an eventuality taking place... unless our leaders continue to keep a blind eye to the dangers of the presence of US troops and military bases on our soil.

We remain friends to the US, just as we are now friends to China. But we cannot remain friends to both if we favor one over the other. 'Para tayong namamangka sa dalawang ilog. Hindi tama 'yun.' (We are like paddling a canoe on two rivers. That's not right.) It could only lead to disastrous results for us.

China and the US are protagonists in the economic, political and military fields and will remain so in the foreseeable future.

Heaven forbid, but such a relationship could conceivably, even probably, result in an armed confrontation between the two.

As Digong himself said, and even Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, a military clash between the two will most certainly draw Chinese attack on the Philippines where US troops and military bases are located.

We, therefore, fervently pray Digong will ultimately find his way into avoiding such a grim scenario by keeping his promise to get rid of foreign troops and military bases on our soil.

It will be his greatest legacy to the Filipino people!

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