MikeLigalig.com

By Michaela del Callar

A territorial conflict with China that broke out eight months ago in the West Philippine Sea and the evacuation of thousands of Filipino workers trapped in strife-torn Arab nations like Syria sparked foreign policy crises that served as Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario's toughest dilemmas this year.

Del Rosario and his department scrambled the whole year to deal with the crises, which have eased but continue to unravel. The country's top diplomat traveled far and wide from Asia's capitals to Washington and the Arab world's dangerous frontlines in troubleshooting missions that, remarkably, never subdued his gentle demeanor and subtle smile.

Arrayed against great odds, Del Rosario always projected an air of optimism. "I look at the job as an opportunity to serve the country," Del Rosario said. "There are ups and downs but, by and large, you take everything as being part of the territory."

Often, he said, diplomacy was the ultimate weapon the country could wield, for example, in the territorial disputes involving the Philippines and China, suggesting the weight of the pressure on his shoulders and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

"Historically, you look at territorial disputes and it takes generations to solve. Some of these territorial disputes never get solved," he said. "Yet, you find yourself in a territorial dispute with a world power, someone with significant and larger economy, larger military force and all you're left with is your diplomatic tools."

Del Rosario's biggest and most delicate headache were the disputes with Asian superpower China over West Philippine Sea territories that first reemerged in 2010 but took a turn for the worse in April this year when Chinese and Philippine vessels figured in a high-profile standoff at the Scarborough Shoal, off northwestern Zambales province. The Philippines calls the rich fishing area, Bajo de Masinloc, while China refers to the offshore territory as Huangyan Island.

The confrontation began when Philippine authorities deployed a navy ship to check on reports of poaching in a sprawling lagoon at the shoal by Chinese fishermen aboard several boats. Philippine sailors boarded the Chinese boats and accused the Chinese fishermen of poaching endangered marine species, like giant clams and small sharks from Scarborough's waters. Two Chinese maritime surveillance ships later arrived and prevented the Filipino sailors from arresting the fishermen from China's southern Hainan province, sparking the standoff.

Tensions flared when Chinese authorities deployed a growing flotilla of maritime vessels to the shoal at the height of the duel in the high seas, at one point numbering nearly 100 vessels, against two Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries ships.

The Philippines says the shoal lies within its 200 nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ, an offshore area demarcated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea where the nearest coastal state could exclusively exploit resources but where foreign ships could freely navigate. China and the Philippines were among more than 160 nations that have signed the landmark treaty.

Nature somewhat provided a reason for a way out of the standoff, when a seasonal storm in June prompted President Benigno S. Aquino III to order the withdrawal of the two Philippine vessels to ensure the safety of the crewmembers. Chinese vessels, however, have remained at the shoal since then and even roped off the entrance to Scarborough's fishing lagoon, according to Philippine officials.

Ruling out any use of force, the Philippines has invited China to bring the dispute to international arbitration for a peaceful and internationally-accepted resolution. But China has reiterated a longstanding position to have the disputes resolved through bilateral negotiations with each of its rival Asian claimants over West Philippine Sea territories, which are believed to be rich in oil and gas and teem with bountiful fishing grounds.

China's position has stalled Manila's plan to bring the territorial row to the Hamburg-based International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), a plan the Philippine government says it continues to consider.

China has claimed the West Philippine Sea in its entirety on historical grounds and has stepped up efforts this year to strengthen its claims, provoking protests from the Philippines, Vietnam and other claimants.

As the disputes dangerously hang, the rifts spilled over to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the 10-nation bloc of Southeast Asian countries that include four rival claimants of China: Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. A disagreement between Cambodia, a known Chinese ally and host of this year's ASEAN regional meetings, and Vietnam and the Philippines resulted in the non-issuance of a post-ministerial meeting communique in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh in July.

It was an unprecedented show of discord in the bloc's 45-year history, tarnishing its reputation.

Del Rosario and his Vietnamese counterpart argued that discussions of the territorial conflicts should be reflected in the communique but Cambodia resisted, sparking the debacle.

Throughout the year, the Philippines continued efforts to modernize its delapidated navy fleet and air force, turning to Washington and other Western allies for patrol ships and surveillance aircraft that could help it strengthen the defense of its territories amid the feud with China. The Philippine military has slowly been turning its focus on external defense after decades of dealing with Communist and Muslim rebellions.

Chinese retrictions on Philippine banana imports and cutbacks on the flow of Chinese tourists to the Philippines, sparked concerns that China was using its overwhelming economic muscle as a leverage in the territorial rifts. The restrictions have eased after both sides took steps to normalize relations despite unresolved territorial issues.

A jarring sideshow to the crisis emerged in September when Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV openly hit Del Rosario's handling of the Scarborough disputes, accusing the foreign secretary of bringing the Philippines to the brink of war with China. Trillanes said he was appointed as a special envoy by Aquino for backdoor talks with Chinese officials, separate from official negotiations overseen by Del Rosario. Aquino later intervened to end the differences.

Compounding Del Rosario's worries was the fate of the thousands of Filipino workers, who were trapped in violent upheavals in Arab countries like Syria and needed to be evacuated en masse out of harm's way and often back to the Philippines in large-scale operations that were a logistical nightmare. Other problems involving overseas Filipino workers, or OFWs, continued like the involvement of some in drug trafficking cases abroad and the kidnapping of shiploads of Filipino sailors off pirate-infested Somalia.

Aside from the Filipino workers' safety, Del Rosario and top diplomats often had to walk a tightrope in dealing with Arab governments under siege from Philippine allies like the United States. The Philippines, for example, refused to openly back Western steps against Syria's embattled leader and his government because Manila still needed the support of Damascus officials in securing the safety of Filipino workers trapped in the strife.

Just before Christmas, Del Rosario flew to the United States to attend the wake of US Sen. Daniel Inouye, a longtime legislator, who had been a staunch supporter of the Philippines. Then, the top Philippine diplomat quietly flew to Syria to once again assess and oversee the Philippine government's ongoing repatriation of Filipinos as fightings escalated in the troubled Middle Eastern nation.

After such whirlwind trips, Del Rosario flew back home, playing down the awe people express over his low-key but highly delicate missions around the world.

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