Chiz may truly restore Philippine sovereignty against the one-and-a-half year of US-proxies’ domination of Philippine foreign relations
This piece is being written on June 12, supposed Independence Day of the Philippines.
Independence was true during the 25 years of the senior Marcos but lasted only until February 1986.
(Editor’s Note: Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was president from Dec. 31, 1965 to Feb 25, 1986, or 20 years and two months).
President Duterte restored it, until his term ended in 2022.
While his legacy lingered for eight months longer, Bongbong Marcos pivoted in Feb. 2023 to vassalage under the United States of America and embraced its “Forever Wars” agenda.
This year’s Independence Day is “Hindi-pendence,” a pun on “hindi” meaning “No” in Pilipino and “independence” for “No independence.”
Bongbong Marcos has set the country on the course of a US proxy war with China, as well as separation from the ASEAN, isolation from the burgeoning BRICS Plus comprising 46 percent of world population, 37 percent of global GDP, 45 percent of global oil and natural gas supply and over 50 percent of grain production and growing.
The consequence of BBM’s submission to the US is debasement of the country’s sovereignty where the President’s order to “ease tension” in the South China Sea with China, “operationalized” by its loyal commander Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos, was countermanded by a mere Task Force-WPS spokesman Comm. Jay Tarriela and had the admiral fired.
Then BBM follows US orders to serve a prop to “proxy-dent” Zelenskyy to the sham NATO-Swiss peace summit.
As bad as “proxy-dent” BBM is the Philippines Senate whose dual-citizens like Poe and Tulfo to the ones of great conviction like Estrada and Revilla, all baying at the moon, the Americans train their loyal canines to wail against China.
Festering in the Senate are empty political grandstanding, anti-China posturings, and covering up national POGO shenanigans with Alice Guo probes, but silence reigned on real issues like the Senate’s corruption monument of the overpriced P23-billion New Senate Bldg.
It seems now, however, a wind of change is blowing through the Senate halls after a recent change in its leadership.
The change didn’t seem like much at first, like the usual musical chairs of politicians in shifting interests of political factions.
But the new Senate leadership is stunning us cynics of Philippine Senate and its corrupt US vassalage politics as a new, apparently courageous, independent and rational rhetoric is being heard from the Senate President’s rostrum.
Senator Chiz Escudero made his first public statement as Senate President on May 20, 2024 upon swearing in.
Words expressing ritual genuflection to colleagues and the government hierarchy, and conciliatory words to displaced colleagues.
Reviewing his press brought me to discover his statement prior to his installation, dated May 9, 2024 where he urged the Philippine Navy to “buy boats for disaster response and relief instead of submarines” showing wisdom, absent in corrupt pols and AFP officers.
Austerity is a word that has long been missing from our government officials’ vocabulary but is one of the main planks of our “think tank” Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute’s (ACPSSII) “unfinished revolution” programs to restore the vitality of the Philippines’ economy, governance and society.
Rescue and hospital ships instead of subs are austerity measures, and, surprisingly, Chiz Escudero has some more delightful gifts from his pronouncements.
Truly pleasant to our corruption-weary eyes and ears is Chiz’ announcement as Senate president suspending construction of the new Senate building in Taguig City. (Let’s say “Cheeze” to that.)
Awarded to Hilmarc, Binay clan’s contractor with a record of “phasing construction work to hide creeping costs increases” bloated the cost from P 4.8-B to P 23.5-B from 2014 to the present.
The question in many minds is how much kickbacks the ardent supporters like Gatchalian, Lacson, Binay et al. got?
Finally, what makes Chiz “Estar como un queso” or “attractive and desirable as cheese” are his pronouncements on June 6 and 9 calling for “Philippine-China dialogue” and that “long history of cooperation should help ease PH-China tensions over WPS.”
This has earned Chiz the ire of the vast network of US proxy-think tankers and media when ANC broadcast Stratbase’s Dindo Manhit said Chiz will be “accountable” for his views on China and the SCS.
Chiz may truly restore Philippine sovereignty against the one-and-a-half year of US-proxies’ domination of Philippine foreign relations and the Malacañang proxy-dent’s servility.
Once more now, say “Chiz.” (rpkapunan@gmail.com)