SENATE President Juan Miguel 'Migz' Zubiri, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and other legislators and politicians have spoken of the bill establishing a national self-reliant defense posture program as something whose time has come.

With China having long ago built artificial islands in the country's exclusive economic zone, more recently attacked our Coast Guard personnel with water cannons and rammed a Coast Guard vessel in the West Philippine Sea and blockaded the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal, the measure actually appears overdue. One can only wish that our defense establishment and Congress had proposed this measure as soon as China's ambition to dominate the region and extend its borders under the demon's principle of 'might makes right' became clear.