THE Philippines, an article written by Jose Antonio Goitia (Manila Standard, Nov. 25, 2025 issue titled “The AFP’s strategic shield),” kowtows to the malicious strategy of the US of pushing vassal countries like the Philippines to do its mischief all over the world at the cost of the proxy countries’ own welfare and peace.
Let’s look at the case of the Philippines under the present political and military authorities, with the president directing the chief of the Armed Forces, General Romeo Brawner Jr., to “prepare for a 30-day conflict before allies can intervene.”
This was announced by Brawner to the media himself early last month. This exposes a national security plan and its limitation to whatever enemy the president and Brawner are referring to.
Who are the allies Brawner was referring to? We can only surmise it’s the United States and its coterie of subservient former Western colonial powers G-7 cohorts and its World War II defeated enemy Japan.
Let us look into the record of these countries in the wars they initiated and then abandoned too the defeat of their proxies or destruction of the country: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, and the latest, now Ukraine – to name a few.
Unlike the president and Brawner, Gotia’s article was not coy about naming the enemy he was referring to, saying Beijing’s strategy in its South China Sea territorial claims and defense “has been one of intimidation – a calculated bet that a smaller nation will eventually fold under the weight of constant harassment.”
Goitia is imagining things. it has been the Philippine maritime security and other assets that sail to challenge and provoke Chinese response.
(Editor’s Note: Filipino fishermen have been harassed by Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea at various times, with multiple incidents reported since at least 2012.
(Last October, Chinese forces were reported by PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela to have operated “very close” to Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, deploying a large flotilla to harass a Philippine humanitarian mission for local fishermen.
(The flotilla, consisting of more than 15 Chinese maritime militia ships, five China Coast Guard vessels, a People’s Liberation Army Navyship, and a helicopter, harassed Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels as close as 1.6 to 1.8 nautical miles from the island’s shores.)
There has been repeated foray of the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries ships sailing to Scarborough Shoal where the Chinese Coast Guard have effectively established their presence.
The Philippines claimed the Chinese Coast Guard harassed and blocked Filipino fishermen from fishing in the area. But the PCG and BFAR have made repeated “missions” to “deliver food and fuel” there (the only area off limits is the lagoon, a fish sanctuary).
The PCG and BFAR deliver to the fishing area of Scarborough to “video op” confrontation with the Chinese Coast Guard and report to Western and domestic media “harassment” and water-cannoning incidents that become routine when official vessels of the Philippine government enter “territorial waters” claimed by China.
We all know, water cannons are used in regular police action and classified as non-aggressive used by many countries around the South China Sea and our own police.
China is not an aggressive state, the whole world called the Global Majority love and embrace it as a friendly, helpful state that has launched massive economic development programs around the world, including in developing countries under the Belt and Road Initiative investing $ 1.3-trillion in roads, railways, ports, and energy projects in 140 countries, spurring growth and new productivity from Africa to Latin American to the Middle East and around Asia and Central Asia.
One recent example is the $ 3.6-billion Chancy Port China built for Peru that opens direct sea route from Asia mainland to Latin America that cuts transport time between the two regions by 23 days and saves 20 percent in cost. making Latin America exports more affordable to Asia and vice versa.
The Philippines gained from the BRI, like the Chico River Pump Project, irrigating 10,000 hectares of Kalinga and Cagayan while the ongoing Kaliwa Dam will supply additional 600 million liters of water per day to Metro-Manila.
It is the Philippines that is missing the boat to China while the rest of ASEAN and the Global Majority are all aboard.
China has made many attempts offering the olive branch to the Philippines, offering constant dialogue and “meeting halfway” as former ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian repeated at least three times.
The Philippines will be left behind by history if it doesn’t change course away from the colonial Unipolar master the US to the new Multipolar world led by the Global Majority guided by China.
(The author, a broadcast journalist, supports Philippines-China understanding, organized the Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies think tank dedicated to promoting global multi-polarity.).
