LET’S put it in proper perspective.
Some quarters have been faulting President Aquino for his alleged mishandling of the more-than-three-week standoff that, as of the latest count, took the lives of 60 individuals, 52 of whom are Filipinos holed in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia.
The President’s response was not spared from partisan politics.
Senatorial candidate Richard Gordon warned him against possible culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, which the come- backing senator claims, is enough to impeach the President.
But many good people I know would like to know how Gordon and other presidential detractors would have dealt with a foreign policy crisis better than President Aquino, other than dangling a vile threat of impeachment come the resumption of Congress session in June.
It is our constitutional duty as Filipinos to stand behind the President – and rally ‘round the flag – when the country is faced with foreign policy crisis, such as Sabah standoff.
Besides, the President is the chief architect and implementor of foreign policy and no one else.
President Aquino needs bipartisan support when dealing with such foreign policy crisis, and the least thing he needs now is get all politically-motivated attacks on his decision and much less, on his personality and his decision-making process.
The President had forewarned Sulu Sultan Karim of dire consequences for his and his men’s unilateral action to “intrude” a disputed foreign territory, with the presence of armed men. He even sent a ship to ferry them out and return back to the Philippines.
But the President’s call fell on deaf ears, and the Malaysian government cannot be blamed for defending the disputed territory it believes belongs to them as it is also mandated by its very own Constitution.
The dispute is best solved between the governments of the Philippines and Malaysia, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which these two governments belong to, should mediate in resolving the standoff and in the longer term, the territorial dispute.
Alright, President Aquino may be weak in foreign policy, judging by the way he had handled the Luneta incident or even the country’s protracted row with China over the disputed islands in West Philippine Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea.
But criticizing the President while he is dealing with a foreign policy crisis by our so-called “honorable” leaders just weakened his power to deal with a foreign government.
If one has nothing constructive idea to share, he better shut up and wait for his term to run the country.
