"SCREW ASEAN!" -- GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
"President Arroyo's agreement with China for a joint seismic study was controversial in several respects. By not consulting other Asean members beforehand. the Philippines abandoned the collective stance that was key to the group's success with China over the South China Sea. Ironically, it was Manila that first sought a united front and rallied Asean to confront China over its intrusion into Mischief Reef a decade earlier. Sold the idea by politicians with business links who have other deals going with the Chinese, Ms. Arroyo did not seek the views of her foreign ministry, Philippines officials say. By the time the foreign ministry heard about it and objected, it was too late, the officials say..." -- Barry Wain, Far Eastern Economic Review, Jan-Feb 2008i had already read this before lozada came out (yikes! the things i read for leisure...luthien should go out more). i already had an inkling that this has something to do with all the China deals this government is making. all i had to do was to connect the dots...
when i was in thailand one november mornning, i almost choked on my bacon when i read the day's issue of The Wall Street Journal: the Philippines was on the front page, not because of its economic performance but because the World Bank found something amiss with the road project in mindanao it is funding. surprise surprise! it involves another chinese firm.
click on this pdf if you want to read more of Manila's Bungle in the South China Sea.
