Senate Resolution 718: An act of patriotism

While a lot of people agree that continued engagement with China would be helpful, there is no denying the fact that an extremely large percentage of filipinos are angered over the unrelenting harassment by Chinese Coast Guard vessels, shadowing and blocking Philippine Coast Guard ships on supply missions and harassing filipino fishermen who said they feel like thieves in their own territory, chased away and deprived of their livelihood. this is why the adoption of senate resolution 718 principally authored by senate President Zubiri and senator risa hontiveros condemning the continued harassment of filipino fishermen in the West Philippine sea and the persistent incursions by Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels reverberates very well and is getting strong support from filipinos.

“We have to show them how angry we are at what they are doing in our territory,” senate President migz said in a recent interview, adding that the senate has to make a stand on issues regarding national trillion; down to $2.86 trillion in August. Apple sells toys (or gadgets) like iPhones, laptops, tablets and mini speakers.

In 2022, with 137,000 employees, Apple reported profits of $99.8 billion, up 5.4 percent from 2021 and up 73 percent from 2020. selling brains and brawn, the Philippines has deployed its best, brightest and most skilled workers abroad, 12 million of them, but made only $32 billion in ofW remittances, 32 percent of Apple’s yearly profits. simply by selling us toys, Apple makes in just four months what the 12 million filipinos earn in one year. our 12 million ofWs sell their blood, sweat, tears and their souls to make a third of what Apple rakes in yearly.

According to The Economist, “Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, meta and microsoft lord it over American business. the five firms dominate the s&P 500 stock market index, collectively accounting for 9 percent of its sales, 16 percent of its net profits and 22 percent of its market capitalization. Last year, their capital spending of $360 billion made up over a tenth of all American business investment.”

“It is their sustained growth sovereignty. “the reckless, unrepentant and continuous incursion of Chinese vessels into the heart of the West Philippine sea strikes at the very core of our nation’s sovereignty, the integrity of our country’s maritime zones and the rights of our people,” senator risa said in her sponsorship speech to an earlier resolution that has been merged with sr 718. the statements of sP migz and senator risa articulate the sentiments of many filipinos who are dismayed at the relentless incursions, harassment and aggression displayed by China despite professions that it wants peace, and the continuing disregard for the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling that there was “no legal basis” for China to claim “historic rights” to resources within the sea areas falling within the socalled nine-dash line.

A lot of filipinos see sP migz and senator risa as patriots, so it is no wonder why there is growing admiration for these legislators as evidenced by the results of surveys conducted by independent groups.

In the recent survey conducted by the Institute of Popular opinion of the University of mindanao, senator hontiveros had an 83 percent awareness rating and came out as “the most trusted” senator in Davao City – which is no mean feat considering that she did not win in the city during the may 2022 elections and had a negative 30 trust rating in a June 2022 survey. An independent “Boses ng Bayan” survey released by the rP-mission and Development foundation recently showed senate President migz with an approval rating of 69 percent. Under his leadership, the senate has been getting record high trust and satisfaction ratings. China’s claims run contrary to the UN Convention on the Law of the sea (UNCLos), the resolution read – which is also what other nations have expressed in their submissions to the United Nations. the resolution urged the government to take appropriate action in asserting and securing the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and one of the options presented to address China’s incursions is the filing of a resolution before the UN General Assembly (UNGA) calling on the cessation of all activities that harass Philippine vessels.

As reiterated by former supreme Court senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who was a key figure in the maritime case filed at the PCA against China, the “locus of world opinion is the UNGA.” the Philippines is also open to working together with like-minded nations – even those that have overlapping maritime claims – to ensure maritime peace and security. the Philippines and Vietnam signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2016 covering several fronts, including defense and maritime security. Both are now stepping up cooperation amid growing security threats in the region, recognizing that disputes must be managed and resolved peacefully in accordance with

No country would like to be considered an outcast in the community of nations, which is why if one wants to influence world opinion, the UNGA is where you start, he said.