Ellentordesillas: treasonous or hysterical?

I see that President Aquino is taking some flack for saying he may ask the U.S. for air coverage of the areas of the West Philippine Sea that are in conflict with China.

The uber-nationalists are blaming him for giving up Philippine sovereignty to the U.S. The harshest view, surprisingly enough, comes from the usually calm and rational blogger Ellen Tordesillas:

• Aquino’s solution of asking the United States to do the monitoring through their spy planes over those disputed islands is tantamount to ceding sovereignty over to the United States. That’s treason.

I think this is a tad hysterical. It seems bizarre to me to declare it treasonous to seek ways to protect Philippine territory and interests. If it is treasonous to lean on an ally then I wonder what Great Britain was doing during WW II.

Here's the link to the full article: ellentordesillas re sovereignty

China of course pounced on the President's remark for its daily rant against the Philippines. Listening to the big, fearful, quaking China, you would think that the Philippines has aimed nuclear missiles at Beijing. China displays the diplomatic nuance of a thug with its jock twisted a little too tight.

So both Ellen and China are ragging on the President. Strange bedfellows.

(Quick digression: Inquiring minds want to know if the famous roast duck is now called Beijing roast duck, or what? I have not been in a Chinese Restaurant since I was forced to slurp chicken feet soup and eat goose liver in Hong Kong back in, oh, 1995. We had Peking roast duck then, as I recall.)

Another article parsing Mr. Aquino's choice of words was penned by journalist manuelbuencamino on propinoy.net. He is his normal wry self, querying:

• As for Beijing, I wonder what it will do if the US does conduct surveillance flights over the disputed areas with or without any request or permission from the Philippines. Is it going to shoot down those planes?

The full article is here: manuelbuencamino re China

Well, I've been critical of President Aquino's lose lips on this matter. I think he should let his foreign affairs people speak on this incident and reserve his comments for serious moments, like when the Philippines issues an ultimatum to China to get its warships out of Philippine territory. I offer that little bit of advice to STRENGTHEN the President, not weaken him.

The Worm Has Now Turned, eh?
http://philippines1900.tumblr.com/post/263328179/drama-and-sedition

The policy ought to be to keep military craft out of the contested areas. We don't want Chinese military occupation of what we consider to be our territory and we presume Bullyboy China feels the same way. So keep the stinkin' guns out of the contested zone until the matter is resolved.

I guess that's what I don't understand about the hue and cry against President Aquino from certain hystericals. You would think HE is the enemy, not China.

This seems to me to be reflective of the Filipino penchant for declaring that if someone does it differently than they would do it, that person deserves to be attacked. Brought to the ground, as it were. It's a win/lose world in the merry Philippines. You are for me or against me, and if you are not for me, you deserve to go DOWN.

It also seems like a grand inferiority psychosis to me, that any active engagement with the U.S. is somehow a threat to Philippine autonomy. I guess you don't give the Philippines and Filipinos much credit, eh? You figure the Philippine officials will automatically kiss Uncle Sam's ass rather than work for the good of the Philippines? They will automatically become pawns to American interests?

Such a low opinion you have of Filipino intelligence, strength and ability to act on behalf of the Philippines.

People who don't trust U.S. motives don't trust President Aquino, I guess. They don't trust ANYBODY but themselves.

That's bad thinking, especially for people who ought to be stock full of Pinoy Pride. If we RESPECT that the President has a big challenge on his hands here, we'd recognize he needs our backing for whatever avenues he and his staff pursue. He doesn't need backbiting. He needs benefit of the doubt. And our trust.

Let me make clear to Ellen and her group of like thinkers what she must not have considered. Mr. Aquino is not the enemy here.

China is.

When Chinese warships are parked in Subic Bay, are you going to declare it treasonous to seek American assistance?

It strikes me that the more that Filipino opinion leaders criticize and undermine the President, the bolder China is likely to become.

So, let me ask . . . call it aggressive curiosity, not accusation . . . where REALLY does the greater "treason" rest?

With those seeking ways to defend the Philippines? Or those aiding and abetting China by undermining the Philippine President?