Senator Bato dela Rosa has once again made waves—literally—by declaring that he is willing to kill himself in the West Philippine Sea to prove he is not “pro-China.”

Now, hold on. Why does he need to take a deep dive into self-destruction when he can just prove his patriotism on solid ground? Unless, of course, what he meant was that he’s willing to get killed defending Philippine territory. Big difference.

This is a classic case of how grammar can be a matter of life and death. One minute, you’re a brave patriot; the next, you’re a confused kamikaze. If Bato isn’t careful, he might just end up as the first senator to drown in a misunderstanding.

Moral of the story? Choose your words wisely, or you might find yourself explaining to St. Peter why you voluntarily jumped into contested waters instead of simply holding your ground.