The pandemic is at the center of public attention because it is the most relevant among current threats to the Philippines. There are, however, other issues that will ultimately become a serious threat if our leaders do not handle them properly. Understanding these issues requires thorough study of their background. The most critical of these is the South China Sea dispute caused by China’s claim of sovereignty over the whole 1.4 million square miles of this maritime area. Other countries have competing claims including Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia. There have been skirmishes and China has illegally transformed some of the reefs into naval bases. When people ask me to explain the whole situation, I tell those who are truly interested to read about the whole maritime area – its geography, history and the issues that need to be resolved.

Cruz, E. S. (2020, July 16). Conflict in South China Sea again?. The Philippine Star, p. 5.