Just a tactical withdrawal

Well, diplomats always have a way to hide the state of things. Like, for example the Philippine flagship withdrew from the disputed Scarborough shoal yesterday morning as the third Chinese's ship entered the area on the third day of a standoff.

That was billed by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario as backing out for “re-provision” and it was replaced by a Coast Guard vessel.

Now, how come that it was needed to be provisioned when it was inside Philippine waters and just a few nautical miles while the two Chinese surveillance vessesl had to traverse hundreds of miles to be able to stay put at the Scarborough Shoal.

Well, that was a deft way of showing tact when a standoff could run the risk of a square —off with disastrous consequences.

The Philippines may have shown that it has newly acquired naval equipment from the United States, but definitely it also declared that such puny vessels cannot risk a major combat with the Chinese boats.

A real goodwill gesture that made it clear that the Philippines has no warlike intentions but prefers to discuss the issue peacefully. And what better way to show its intentions than by withdrawing it flagship from the area.

C'est la vie.

***

Meanwhile the government seems to have toned down its shrill alarms over the North Korean satellite launch. Now, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo points out that getting hit by falling debris is just like winning in lotto in terms of percentages.

Why then did the government issue so many alarms over the North Korea missile launch to the point that some even had alerted local government units to ready evacuations centers as if these could just be set up on short notice.

And, of course, the Coast Guard cancelling the trip to the Visayan Sea of several vessels because of the danger to its crew and the boats?

We could end up like the boy who cried wolf too often, to the point that our government officials have lost their credibility.

True, there was the object of stirring up international furor over the launch that an ASEAN nation has regarded with concern and some panic over the issue. But apparently we overdid it.

The problems with all the stridency of the concern of government agencies, scientist of other counties never gave confirmatory warnings about the potential debacles that have accompanied the dropping of debris over Philippines populated areas or the seas.

The morale of the story. Don't overdo a good thing. It could make us look foolish or alarmists.

We have expressed our concern over the missile launch. Panicking the entire population of Luzon exaggerates the exercise.

***

What happened to former Bacolod cop P03 Dennis Belandres should serve as a warning to other fugitives from the law, many of them former police officers of Bacolod City.

That also goes to Nell Ayalin, former Barangay Captain of Kapitan Ramon in Silay City.

The question, however, is how many of them could remain separate for so long from their loved one and still earn enough to sustain their daily needs?

Sooner or later, one falls victim to loneliness and the agony of prolonged separation. Thus, unless one commits another crime, the tendency will be for the fugitive to surface and surrender.

That goes for Maj. Jovito Palparan and Palawan governor Joel Reyes. But both are reportedly well-provisioned and provided for. But the question is, how long will their protectors and relatives care for them?

For the moment, for a short duration of time, one can depend on one's protectors. But in the long run, whether we like it or not, the tension of keeping these fugitive from the law will take its toll on the patience of their most dedicated protectors.

So, the best thing to do now is just to surrender themselves to the law.*

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