“Talking Points”

Photo downloaded from www.congress.gov.ph

     Apparently, the document entitled “Talking Points” which House foreign affairs committee chair Rep. Antonio Cuenco showed to the media  yesterday, while supposedly emanating from the office of the Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia C. Brady,  supposedly contained the position of China on the Spratlys; in other words,  those are not Ms. Brady’s words but supposedly China’s. Hindi kasi malinaw  (Because it’s not clear); if you look at the language, it referred to China in the “third person” so it sounded like a party other than China talking, or the other party (Philippines) talking; and it’s an unsigned document but was represented to have come from the office of the Philippine ambassador when presented to the media; and it said “China has indisputable  sovereignty over Nansha islands (Kalayaan islands), including Scarborough Shoal and adjacent waters”. Any  Filipino is bound to react; well, i was startled  when i saw it.

      If you’re going to relay China’s position of “indisputable sovereignty” and you’re the Philippine envoy, put an attribution; attribute it to China,  do not state it as a fact.  

     Because it is not a fact! (ayan na, gusto ko uli sumakal ng tao, dapat siguro sa Ilocano ko isulat ito para mas konti ang makaintindi.) 

     The simple explanation, if the document is authentic, is that China wrote it and just referred to themselves all the time in the third person.

      Why isn’t anyone confirming  or denying the “Talking Points”? 

        Were there meetings between Chinese representatives and the Philippine envoy in Beijing last December on the Spratlys and the House bill on archipelagic baselines?  Did the Philippine envoy say she will exert best efforts to block the bill? Did the Philippines agree with the matters raised in the talking points?