FRONTLINE: AQUINO JUSTIFIED HIS BOYCOTT OF NOBEL PRIZE AWARDS RITES
MANILA, DECEMBER 20, 2010 (TRIBUNE) FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares (photo at left) Straining relations further.
Noynoy Aquino justified the Philippine boycott of the Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremonies as having done this for the "national interest" on account of his bid to save the lives of five Filipino drug mules in China jails, awaiting their execution, along with his desire to smoothen the ties between Chinese and the Philippine governments.
On the issue of the five drug mules, Noynoy said he had asked for clemency from the Chinese government.
That was really dumb, in the sense that the Chinese government does not operate in the same way the Arab countries do by way of extending clemency to prisoners in death row.
The Arab countries allow the rulers to free death row prisoners — either freeing them or commuting their death sentence by way of blood money being given by the victim's relatives — should they accept the blood money.
Neither Hong Kong nor the Mainland Chinese courts operate under such a system. While there is nothing wrong in Noynoy writing a letter to the Chinese government for clemency for the five drug mules, along with the admission that the boycott of the Nobel rites was done to placate China, such information need not have been made public by him, first because no government — including Noynoy's government, would want to admit that it had freed prisoners upon the request of another government.
The fact alone that China has ignored all calls and pressures from foreign governments — especially the United States — to free Liu Xiabao, the Nobel Peace Prize awardee, is already a clear indication that China would not kowtow to the western powers' plea to free the detained Liu. What made Noynoy think that his relations with China, which has soured on account of the Aug. 23 botched rescue of the Hong Kong tourists that a boycott would be enough to get China to free the five Filipino drug mules?
Then too, by saying that he had his ambassador boycott the Nobel so as not to strain the relations with China further wasn't the best way for Noynoy to explain things.
China would have preferred — at least from a public perspective — that the countries that boycotted the Nobel rites did so because they were one with China in the belief that the Nobel conferment of Liu with the Peace Prize was America's move against China for refusing to free Liu.
Worse, it made Noynoy look even weaker as a leader, for bowing to China's wish.
All those moves have come to naught, as well they should, since seeking clemency for the five drug mules as well as making it appear that Noynoy has a bleeding heart for those overseas Filipino workers who are on death row just doesn't fly with the Chinese government nor the Filipinos.
As the Hong Kong government stated, the handling the cases of the drug mules is done according to law, which is really a slap on the face of Noynoy.
As for his boycott move to normalize relations with China, even this move was useless, since Hong Kong issued a black travel advisory that warned its residents against travel to the Philippines, due not only to threats of terrorist attacks but also warned against the rabies virus.
Noynoy and his Palace aides reacted by saying they were puzzled by the black advisory, pointing out that they have already put in place the suggestions and recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) to safeguard the lives of foreign tourists, having created tourist task forces, as well as the high visibility of police forces in tourist areas.
What Noynoy and his Palace aides don't seem to realize is that it is not these moves that would "normalize" the China-RP relations as the problem really stems from Noynoy watering down the IIRC recommendations and absolving virtually all those who should be held accountable for the "wrongful" death of the Hong Kong tourists.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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