Print, broadcast and social media have been headlining and trending issues on the South China Sea. We read about fishing vessels being rammed, scuttled and sunk, watch about islands being occupied, and react to photos of fishermen stranded at sea and left to drown. But this part of the world is not new to these kinds of conflicts, clashes and combats. All these can be traced back to more than 500 years ago. Let us bring to mind one of the chronicled characters that have altered the course of the colonial history of the Philippines.

Jimenez, J. B. III. (2019, August 8). Limahong and the South China Sea. The Manila Times, pp. A5, A6.