Name: Krisha Jean M. Tiedra
Date of Birth: 08 June 1995
Place of Birth: Pasay City
E-mail address: krishajean18@yahoo.com

On the West Philippine Sea
Peace is a vital component in a person’s daily life and maintaining inner peace is something that is not as easy as others claim it to have, especially when you are unsure whether your country would be able to keep its relationship peaceful due to threat from another.
We can say that many if not all Filipinos are aware about the current problem our country is facing I regards to the issues on the West Philippine Sea, especially the ownership on Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal wherein the country of China is also on its claim. Ever since we were born, the islands have been with us, and we grew to know that it is ours, the country recognizes it, so does other countries, except China. At first it was thought that it was just an understanding, but the issue suddenly grows when the other started to send marine vessels to Scarborough Shoal for economic purposes, especially fishing. The Philippines saw China’s act as a threat to its governance over the islands and took immediate action, we know that there is nothing to be worried about, a talk is the best choice to solve problems, but it seems that China is not willing to listen.
A few days after the fishing vessel incident, China sent another marine vessels “to patrol” the said islands, and upon realizing that the Philippines plea for negotiations fall into deaf ears, they decided to bring the topic to the higher ups, namely, the United States of America and the United Nations, and we are hoping that the dispute is going to be resolved in this matter, wherein both parties doesn’t have to take drastic steps just to prove their might and power over the other.
On both islands, the dispute over it has been a topic not only on the Filipinos and the Chinese but also to the nearby countries that are included in the dispute and the others who doesn’t want to be involved. Scarborough Islands is currently governed by the Republic of China, but is not totally settled in due to the claims of ownership by both the Philippines and Taiwan, while Spratly is still in the middle of the dispute on who has to own it, Philippines, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, or Vietnam. Gaining total administration on the islands won’t only give the winner another piece of land to look for as a trophy, but also national pride, and it is something a country is not going to be willing to be downgraded, for it will cause humiliation.
As Filipinos, it is not enough for us to just stay back and watch for things to unfold. We must act, and we should act fast, the world is not a chess game wherein the enemy has to wait for its opponent’s move before making another of its own, this is the real world and no one will wait. Small steps for better negotiations are better for it will grow into huge ones, and it is always better to fight for the truth, voice your opinions, be heard, and have inner peace.