Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has raised alarm over the impact of US President Donald Trump's push for a border wall.
Enrile warned Washington's adoption of an isolationist position will affect not only the Philippines but the whole world.
“What is Trump doing now? He is adopting an isolationist position. The trajectory of America [is that] they can no longer afford to be the policeman and economic supporter of the entire globe,” he said.
“They have to retract, recede, and go back to their own isolation. If that happens, your economic boom that you’re seeing here is going to be terribly affected,” added Enrile, who is vying for a comeback in the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections.
Enrile noted that the wealth of Germany, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and even China now all came from the economy of America.
“America has been propelling the economic progress of the world. Europe was devastated. They did not have anything; they had to rebuild it. That’s why they opened the US market to all the European countries except the Soviet Union and its satellites. That was the base of this progress that we had, and nothing more,” the veteran lawmaker said.
The former Senator also favored stronger relations with China rather than the US in the years to come.
“Between China and American, we have been under America for almost a century from 1898 until today,” said Enrile.
“Military-wise, I can depend on China more than I can depend on America in terms of their capacity and their willingness to assist their friends in case of trouble. If we go to war with China, we cannot depend on America,” he added.