This was known as the Al Cinco de Noviembre or the day a superpower was fooled into surrendering by a couple of lightly armed Negrense augmented with “cannon” made of bamboo and rolled amakan, and “rifles” carved out of wood and coconut fronds.įilipinos are also known not to cower from a fight even against well-equipped and battle-tested adversaries. Maybe he did not hear about the couple of wise-ass Negrense hacienderos who defeated the advance Spanish army without firing a shot. That Filipinos are much wiser in battle than expected. Maybe President Duterte has forgotten that the Filipinos have been facing insurmountable odds in several wars in the past. That is if Filipinos are stupid enough to engage the superior Chinese military in an open confrontation: mano a mano. President Duterte is 100 percent correct. As such, his bold pre-election promises like riding jetski to the Spratly group of islands and plant the Filipino flag on the Chinese structures has long been unfulfilled. President Duterte openly hesitated to send Filipino soldiers to their deaths. It is correct that in a shooting war, Philippines which is just beginning to rebuilt its military is no match against the Chinese People Liberation Army (PLA). Superior military hardware and assets consisting of missile-equipped battleships and supersonic jets are being flaunted to discourage the other claimants of the very strategic water way.īased on its pronouncements favoring China, the Duterte administration looks to be avoiding an all-out war against the Chinese. Like a school bully, they continue to violate the sovereignty of Philippine territory through a show of force. This inaction allowed the Chinese to build more island fortresses which are now reported to have with surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles.ĭespite the UN decision, the Chinese remained stubborn. Yet President Rodrigo Duterte remains on a standstill despite and has not insisted on a Chinese pull-out. They are slow to anger and fast to forgive Chinese incursions into what the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) has declared in an arbitration case as Philippine territory. For several years, the Filipinos opted for diplomatic solution to this international issue. The presence of the Chinese military, coast guard and fishermen (poachers as aptly described by other media sources) within the West Philippine Sea has been considered a “silent” invasion of the Philippines. This is better known as the Big Stick ideology which allowed the United States of America lord it over the entire world. They could even launch a missile strike from international waters. A skilled submarine crew can position itself closer to the enemy’s military bases and other targets without being detected. The missiles that would be deployed in this submarine may not even be nuclear-tipped but similar to a Hiroshima or Nagasaki payload will complete the threatening stance. All it has to invest on is a single nuclear powered submarine with cruise missile launching capability. With a respectable submarine program, the Philippine Navy – or even the entire Philippine military establishment – need not buy any other conventional weapon. Imagine if the Philippine Navy can train good submarine captains and crew just like how the Philippine merchant marine community are churning most of the world’s outstanding commercial seafarers, then maybe the Philippines has a chance to stand against superpowers like China. This will make it realize that tactical advantage may be achieved if it decides to pursue its submarine program. The Philippine military should also read Tom Clancy’s Hunt for Red October. Specifically, the Japs used midget subs to sneak into the well-defended US harbor base and torpedoed its targets. By employing a ingenious but treacherous strategy against a stronger enemy, the Japanese was able to disable a chuck of the American Pacific Fleet. Japan which was previously seen as a unworthy challenger of the might and more advance Americans was able to pull off a major surprise. To do such an move, the Philippine military should learn from its World War II adversary, the Japanese Imperial Military. What matters is being able strike the enemy unexpectedly. That being a small force is not always a disadvantage. If only Philippine military strategists can learn the lessons of history. No amount of modernization of its airforce, navy and land forces can match the million strong People Liberation Army (PLA).īut what if the Philippine military finds an ingenious way to outsmart the Chinese. Surely, the Philippine military stands no change against a gargantuan modern Chinese army.
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