Maritime sovereignty compromised due to govt neglect ( VIDEO)

MANILA:
The country maritime sovereignty and security
have been compromised many times over due
to decades of neglect and indifference by past
political leadership according to a military paper;

A 40 -page military study a copy of which was
obtained by The Star,noted that because of this
neglect the country's external and territorial
security have been in a woeful and pathetic state
especially in terms maritime capability.

It stressed that the Philippines is a coastal  or
archipelagic nation and the world 's second
largest archipelago ,next to only to Indonesia
It has the fifth longest coastline totaling 36-289
kilometers.

On top of this ,the country is strategically positioned
In East Asia where the world's most important
navigational sea lanes crisscross one another

The nation also sits astride major shipping routes
between the Americas and Southern China and
Southeast Asia ,as well as between northern
Australia and the Lombok Straits and Northeast Asia.

Unfortunately ,the country lacks maritime security
and infrastructure and has failed to check and secure
around 70,000 international vessels traversing year
round the  Luzon Straits and Malaca Straits and the
waterways in the Sulu Sea the paper said

Aside  from the 55 percent of Indian trade to East
Asia 95 percent of Japanese oil requirements from
the Middle East and 90 percent of the world 's trade
pass the country 's waters every year.

Against this backdrop ,it is surprising that the
Philippines has the most inward- looking and
myopic outlook in the region in relation to its
maritime environment

"Internally and externally ,the nation is fraught
with serious maritime issues but government
priorities are clearly misplaced" the paper said,

In spite of its enormous natural wealth there
exists a misunderstood "culture poverity"
This lamentable situation of Philippines
maritime security can easily be traced to the
attitude of its past leaders and policy -makers
in their understanding and appreciation of
geography.

"The leaders are focused on their respective
areas,which means that although they may
embark on improving their respective ports
,hardly any would think of the inter-connectivity
of their areas ,much less think of the entire
national in a maritime context "the paper said

This  attitude keeps legislators entrusted with
"THE POWER of THE  PURSE"from looking
at the national perspective and coming to grips
with the reality"it said.

DAILY EXPRESS