By John Lloyd Hoffman, Chitato Artidyo and Keluar Ramayana-Bintang

MANILA, Philippines—The militant fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the hardline position undertaken by the Philippine government against the proposed dialogue of the Chinese government to settle the ongoing dispute in South China Sea is written and directed by the US government and does not emanate from the collective interest and national sentiment of nearly 97 million Filipinos all over the country.

In a press statement, Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France the reiteration of the Aquino administration to engage China in arbitration proceedings to clarify maritime boundaries in the disputed West Philippine Sea is authored by Washington DC and is religiously followed by the Manila government.

“That is the problem here. The government of Aquino wants to engage China in an arbitration not because it is sincere in upholding the national sovereignty and territorial rights of the Filipino people over some portions of the Spratlys. The main political engine behind this position of Manila is the US and the Aquino administration, being the puppet state of US, is playing its role to the hilt in this US proxy war with China,” the Pamalakaya official noted.

France believed that all the statements issued by the Philippine government against China is masterfully directed by the US government in vain attempt to exploit the conflict and advance the agenda of the US to check Beijing’s increasing role in global politics and pursue US global hegemony to control practically everything in East Asia and the Pacific, including South China Sea and the vast oil and gas resources found in the disputed territories.

“The immoral, illegal and unfounded intervention of the US in the South China Sea conflict is courtesy of the puppet government of Mr. Aquino. The US wants the entire South China Sea in the name of oil and gas deposits and sooner or later, transform South China Sea as the US military naval base in East Asia and the Pacific with junior partners Japan and South Korea playing the support roles and the Aquino government essaying the role of a water boy for Washington DC for US and company of aggressors,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

Pamalakaya had dismissed as “patently pathetic, rated-A puppetry and blockbuster act of pauperism the call of Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin for superpowers like the United States to come in and intervene on the current conflict in West Philippine Sea to check the aggressive campaign of China in the disputed waters.

” Secretary Voltaire wants the big brother in Washington DC to come in like a wrecking ball in West Philippine Sea even if it means the complete surrender of Philippine sovereignty to to US. He is telling the international community that Philippine government will embrace US occupation of South China Sea at any given time.

“Secretary Gazmin’s statement is not only provocative, but also nefarious and grossly irresponsible that puts the Philippine government as the no.1 ally of the world’s no.1 threat to world peace, which is the US government,” said Pamalakaya information officer Gerry Albert Corpuz.

At the 23rd anniversary of the Army’s Special Operations Command, Secretary Gazmin said since China is projecting itself as a superpower, the need for big ally against the bully is necessary to check Beijing’s aggressiveness in the disputed group of islands, in reference to the new Chinese fishing rule recently passed by Hainan province.

Secretary Gazmin said the Philippines will defy the new Chinese fishing rules by having te Philippine Navy escort Filipino fishing boats as they fish in the disputed waters.

Last week, Pamalakaya wrote outgoing Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing demanding the urgent and unconditional recall of the Chinese fishing rule, and pursue bilateral and multilateral talks with claimant nations in South China Sea.

The group said nation claimants in South China Sea should instead be wary of the current campaign of US to takeover the West Philippine Sea to strengthen its military position in East Asia and the Pacific and the desire of Washington DC to control the navigation and oil and gas resources in South China Sea.