According to the news The Philippines said this was the first time there had been such Chinese resistance. How can the Phil govt not anticipated this when Major General Zhang Zhaozhong of China’s People’s Liberation Army in an interview last May described a ‘cabbage strategy,’ as surrounding a contested area with Chinese boats both civilian and military that ‘the island is thus wrapped layer by layer like a cabbage.’” “There can be no question that the cabbage strategy is in effect now at Ayungin and has been at least since May…. Of taking territory from the Philippines, he said: ‘We should do more such things in the future. For those small islands, only a few troopers are able to station on each of them, but there is no food or even drinking water there. If we carry out the cabbage strategy, you will not be able to send food and drinking water onto the islands. Without the supply for one or two weeks, the troopers stationed there will leave the islands on their own. Once they have left, they will never be able to come back.” Also. Last November 2013, the New York Times Magazine came out with an article titled A Game of Shark and Minnow written by Jeff Himmelman describing among others the living condition of the 8 Philippine Marines manning an old Philippine Navy LST (Landing Ship Tank) named BRP Sierra Madre which was intentionally grounded at Ayungin Shoal. Here are some excerpts from this article: “From afar, the boat hadn’t looked much different from the Chinese boats that surrounded it. But at close range, water flowed freely through holes in the hull. With the tropical sun blasting down on it, the ship was ravaged by rust. Whole sections of the deck were riddled with holes. Old doors and metal sheets dotted paths where the men walked to prevent them from plunging into the cavernous tank space below. It was hard to imagine how such a forsaken place could become a flashpoint in a geopolitical power struggle.” “the Chinese presence at Ayungin had spooked the Philippine Navy out of undertaking its regular run to re-supply the troops there.” The men depend on fish—fresh, fried, dried—as their main means of physical survival. They were all undernourished and losing weight, even though eating and meal prep were the main activities on board after fishing. Asked what meal he missed most from the mainland, Yanto said, ‘Vegetables,’ without hesitation. ‘That’s more important than meat or any other kind of fish. The motto of the boat, spray-painted on the wall near the kitchen, was ‘Kumain ang gustong mabuhay’—basically: ‘If you want to live, eat’.” Of all places, the scorched shell of the Sierra Madre has become an unlikely battleground in a geopolitical struggle that will shape the future of the South China Sea and, to some extent, the rest of the world.” It seems to me that the national security advisers of Pres. Aquino have been sleeping on their job and/or just dont know what the job entails!
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 19:04:46 +0000
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