We wish we could believe that a newly completed beaching ramp built by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Pag-asa Island at the West Philippine Sea is really meant to counter the incursion of the Chinese naval vessels thereat. But Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who was present during the ramp’s launching on June 9, 2020, sounded lame when he commented on Chinese incursion, “We cannot let them go back by our own forces. They can stay there. Hindi naman natin sila mapaalis eh. Basta huwag lang nilang molestyahin ‘yung ating fishermen.”

Vego, H. (2020, June 15). Alarming Chinese incursion. Daily Guardian, p. 5.