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MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos should follow the example of National Bookstore to express their patriotism and defend “what is ours” against China, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Tuesday, February 19.
“It is vital that the Filipino people stand in unity to defend what is ours in accordance to the Philippine Constitution,” Del Rosario said in a letter addressed to the management of National Bookstore published by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The country’s largest bookstore chain on February 14 all withdrew from its shelves all Chinese-made globes showing Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea.
National Bookstore management then claimed they were unaware of the “misinformation” contained in the education materials and decided to pull them out after discussing the issue with the DFA.
In the letter, Del Rosario commended the chain for “demonstrating its patriotism in supporting the protection of Philippine sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.”
President Benigno Aquino III “was delighted and proud of your selfless and patriotic action,” he added.
“Your resolve in immediately implementing this decision reflected your company’s strong sense of nationalism over and above economic profit,” the country’s top diplomat told the National Bookstore management.
China’s “9-dash line” outlines its claims to virtually all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the shores of its neighbors.
The Philippine government last month took China to an arbitration panel under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — a 1982 treaty signed by both countries — to demand that it declare China’s claims invalid.
Over the past two years Manila has complained about Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in enforcing its claims, particularly around areas believed to be rich in oil and natural gas reserves.
China’s stance led to a standoff last year with the Philippines over rich fishing grounds around Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop much closer to the Philippine coast than to China’s shores.
Del Rosario hopes that in the current “critical juncture” following the initiation of legal proceedings against China, National Bookstore’s example “will inspire Filipinos to express their patriotism in their own individual capacities.” – with reports from Carlos Santamaria/Rappler.com
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