“The open arms of Bongbong Marcos to the Americans immediately brought the open and tremendously beneficial relations with China to a unilateral stop”
“IF YOU want to understand today, you have to search yesterday,” the great storyteller of 19th century Chinese rural life wisely advises.
Hence, looking at the sorry state of our country today, the Philippines, I go back to the before and after of Feb. 2023 when the then quite new president of the Philippines turned his back on the independent international relations of the country and returned to US captivity.
On Feb. 2, 2023 the agreement between the US and the Philippines for the expansion of unconstitutional US military bases in the Philippines was unveiled during the visit of US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, and during talks with Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Prior to this the Philippines enjoyed free and open relations with China, Russia, the BRICS countries, and enjoyed the respect of ASEAN neighbors, and beneficial economic ties with all.
The open arms of Bongbong Marcos to the Americans immediately brought the open and tremendously beneficial relations with China to a unilateral stop, opened the Philippines to the unfettered and undisguised intervention by the US with its Philippine Coast Guard proxies in South China Sea instigating clashes at sea with the Chinese Coast Guard and propagandizing “China bully” which has totally no effect after 22 months.
The worse part of the damage from US intervention is to the fabric of Philippine socio-political and economic life.
The US introduced, through its proxy politicians, the subversive projects to schismatize Philippine society through re-insertion of the International Criminal Court trumped-up EJK issues against Duterte to tangentially strike at the independent foreign policy he instituted and likewise target VP Sara Duterte.
The Americans triggered the anti-POGO crusade with Senator Risa Hontiveros collaborating in quickly discredited “Chinese spy” and People’s Liberation Army men in uniforms conspiracy tales, costing at least 100,000 Filipino jobs and now triggering a real estate-condominium glut costing $2.5-billion in unoccupied units.
Then the baseless black propaganda attacks on VP Sara Duterte which have devastatingly divided the nation.
No less damaging is the US military bases expansion and installation of Typhon missile launchers that are now, being Tomahawk capable, doubtlessly offensive in nature and violate the Constitution and even the already illegal Mutual Defense Treaty (as well as ASEAN ZOPFAN and SEANWFZT), and compelling the Philippines to divert budgets vital to development to weapons purchases from the US and its allies – sacrificing welfare and development.
The recent international media highlight on China’s Central Economic Work Committee report on their country’s 2025 economic action agenda, focusing on “proactive and moderately loosening of monetary policy” which means extending more credit to its 400-million middle class consumers to buy imports and travel for leisure – which the Philippines is deliberately missing out due to US restrictions on Philippine economic freedom.
Meanwhile, it is now clear the Philippines is losing its rightful share of the fantabulous China market as data shows Vietnam taking the lead as top banana exporter to China after the Philippines loses 45 percent of its previous share, while Chinese tourists to the Philippines has dropped to 1/6 of its 2019 arrivals and the Philippines is not getting any Chinese off-shoring of its EV car manufacturing that has gone to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
The Philippines in 2025 faces further deterioration of its political divisions as retired AFP officers voice out the rebellion active officers cannot express in protest of US-instigated “trapo-politician-leftist-party list” attacks and detentions of police and military officials in kangaroo congressional hearings – they are now treading on dangerous grounds not entirely unwelcome to reformists of Philippine society needing AFP participation in the new People Power.
Looking at the balance of pros and cons of Bongbong Marcos’ acquiescence to US hegemony over the Philippines, the Philippines is giving in to every wish and imposition of the Americans and getting only more negatives in return.
Chinese infrastructure ODAs are indefinitely frozen while US-Japan promises, like the Luzon Economic Corridor initiative, remain an unfulfillable especially with protectionist and austerity advocate Trump swearing in soon.
I am sure the Filipino people do not relish sadomasochism and how long they will stand for it when they realize their government is practicing it on them, but the lavish luxury-living of the legislative house-vermins who recently divided up billions of “ayuda funds” for themselves and syphoned off up to P200-billion from regular departments like education and PhilHealth to unprogrammed “pork barrel” enjoy hedonistic luxuries and the protection of America!
(rpkapunan@gmail.com)
