President Noynoy Aquino and the Philippines Arms Race against China over Spratly Islands

President Noynoy Aquino yesterday warned Chinese Defense Minister Liang Gianglie that continued intrusions into the dispute Spratley Islands could lead to an arms race.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer today quoted him in a news item saying:

“I said, ‘If there are incidents such as these, doesn’t it promote an arms race happening within the region? When there’s an arms race, doesn’t the potential for conflict also increase? Who benefits from such a development?’” Mr. Aquino said. 

“I told them, ‘We may not have the capabilities now but that might force us to increase our capabilities also,’” he said.

Hmmm...  Okay, just for the sake of discussion and supposing that our President is actually serious, let's see how the Chinese military stacks up against our military.

Here are a couple of statistics from www.globalfirepower.com:

PERSONNEL

Total Population: China: 1,330,044,544 [2008]; Philippines: 96,061,680 [2008] 

Population Available: China 729,323,673 [2008]; Philippines: 46,724,739 [2008]

Fit for Military Service: China  609,273,077 [2008]; Philippines: 38,059,588 [2008]

Active Military Personnel: China 2,255,000 [2008]; Philippines: 113,000 [2008] 

ARMY
Total Land-Based Weapons: China 31,300; Philippines, 411 

Tanks: China: China 8,200 [2004]; Philippines, ?

Armored Personnel Carriers: China 5,000 [2004]; Philippines, ? 

Towed Artillery: China 14,000 [2004]; Philippines, 242 [2001] 

Self-Propelled Guns: China 1,700 [2004]; Philippines, ?

Multiple Rocket Launch Systems: China 2,400 [2004]; Philippines, ? 

Mortars: China 16,000 [2001]; Philippines, ?

Anti-Tank Guided Weapons: China 6,500 [2004]; Philippines, ? 

Anti-Aircraft Weapons: China 7,700 [2004]; Philippines,

AIR FORCE
Total Aircraft: China 1,900 [2004]; Philippines 257 [2003] 

Helicopters: China 491 [2004]; Philippines 126 [2003] 

Serviceable Airports: China 467 [2007]; Philippines 255 [2007]

NAVY
Total Navy Ships: China 760; Philippines 36 

Merchant Marine Strength: China 1,822 [2008]; Philippines,  391 [2008] 

Major Ports and Harbors: China 8; Philippines, 6 

Aircraft Carriers: China 1 [2010]; Philippines, 0 

Destroyers: China 21 [2004]; Philippines, 0 

Submarines: China 68 [2004]; Philippines, 0 

Frigates: China 42 [2004]; Philippines 1 [2008] 

Patrol & Coastal Craft: China 368 [2004]; Philippines 24 [2008] 

Mine Warfare Craft: China 39 [2004]; Philippines 0 

Amphibious Craft: China 121 [2004]; Philippines, 12 [2008]

I can't even begin to describe just how wrong it is for President Aquino to openly say such a thing.

When I heard he had said something that seemed like he was threatening China with war, it was as if I had been thrown back to the time when President Joseph Estrada ordered a naval blockade in the Spratley Islands.

Making POOR excuses for the President... Why President Benigno S Aquino III didn't get HK Chief Exec. Tsang's phone call

This comes from Raisa Roble's blog:

Ricky Carandang, who heads the Presidential Communications Group, said Aquino was not aware of the first call because he was in a meeting and because the call came in through the palace’s main phone line with no prior notice. Carandang said the caller was an aide of Tsang, and an aide of Aquino answered the phone. He said Aquino’s aide knew who Tsang was, but was unsure it was really from his office.

The palace contacted the Foreign Affairs Department to set up a phone call through Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, in what would be diplomatic protocol. Presidential spokesman Ed Lacierda said he phoned Romulo’s spokesman Ed Malaya to convey the request to arrange a conversation between Tsang and Aquino. No word came back, so Lacierda tried to phone Malaya again three times but could not reach him. The department declined to tell the Post why no one returned Tsang’s calls that night.

Baloney!

In a crisis situation, the usual diplomatic protocols have to be weighed against the necessity of informing the Hongkong leader and the relatives of those held hostage of what the Philippine government was doing.

In fact, it wouldn't be completely WRONG for President Benigno Simeon Cojuanco Aquino III to have taken the initiative to call up Hongkong Chief Executive Donald Tsang or IMMEDIATELY SET UP OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE Hongkong Representatives here as well as the RELATIVES OF THE HONGKONG NATIONALS WHO WERE BEING HELD HOSTAGE.

Hongkong Chief Executive Tsang regretted not being able to talk to President Noynoy Aquino during the Quirino Hostage taking

I'd like to convey my apologies to HK Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen on behalf of my President, Noynoy Aquino.

He's new to the job of leadership and has never handled a crisis situation before in his life.

Perhaps the next time that Hongkong nationals are held hostage here in the Philippines, be assured that he will be more properly advised as to what orders to issue to the Philippine National Police and his media backers.

We do hope that you will continue to welcome Filipinos in Hongkong and that your people do not take out what ever anger or frustration you may feel on our people.

From the standard

Condemning the Philippine gunman as a "cold-blooded killer," Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen expressed disappointment at the way the crisis was handled.

"This is a major tragedy. The way it was handled, particularly the outcome, is very disappointing," said a tearful Tsang at a press conference convened at 10.45pm. "I feel extremely sad."

Tsang repeatedly stressed that he failed to get in touch with Philippine President Benigno Aquino for a big part of the afternoon and regretted not being able to express his concerns personally. Tsang said the government has demanded that the Philippines foreign ministry properly handle the aftermath.