The Precarious Political Predicament of the Pearl of the Orient

From Grantland

I have been mulling over my internal debate of whether the Philippines should actually sever its ties with the US or not especially since our President had mentioned it in one of his press conferences to which his statement was clarified by various members of his cabinet to simply refer to the political and economic independence from the US, and being a lawyer he is definitely savvy with the legal aspects of his role but often having a very pointed and impulsive rhetoric. However, being the head of the state, whatever he says becomes policy much like the new US President who is much criticized for the policies that he is advocating.

Of course, the question is not as simple as I would like to think it to be because being a part of an increasingly global landscape, it would not fare well for us, no pun intended, to cut ties from the international community, however, asserting our identity, independence, and our sovereignty is much needed despite the difficulties of the process since the culture and the mindset have already been embedded after years of captivity by several nations and not simply politically but also emotionally, mentally, socially, economically, and culturally. However, the distancing that the President desires to achieve would take great strides and great risks to accomplish since international media today can subtly distort the information to shed a bad light upon one nation.

But first, I think we have to look into the institutions that rule in the international community and ask ourselves whether the actions being done by the head of state should be subject to reproach given that most of the countries in the international diplomatic landscape, especially those who are at the top, would be looking out for their own vested interests, no matter how altruistic they purport to be, of course hiding under the guise of international diplomacy. But then again, this would give us a chance to seek an alliance with those that are ostracized by the powers that be without necessarily disengaging with the seeming ruling authorities. Obviously, this would cause a lot of tension just as it already has but then again, that's the nature of politics and power play.

Complicated relations with US?

I believe that the relationship of the Philippines with the United States has been a polarizing issue since after the Second World War and many groups have been wanting to bring down the establishment and the system that takes root from the prevailing systems imposed upon us during the time we were subject to foreign authority. Of course, even after the US withdrew its presence from our lands, the mindset had already pervaded the culture, especially the elite class until such time that it has been assimilated throughout all classes, with the exception of a few opposing groups.

Again, we see the nature of power at play in these situations because the only way for one to take hold of his own life without being indebted to another in the political sense, one needs to play the game, know the rules of the game, and have the nous to go around it, to climb up the social and economic ladder, which for some, the only way to attain that would be to play hard and that's only a mild way of putting it. One needs to carouse with others, rub shoulders with the powerful, and gain their trust in order to make their way up to the top and their ambitions will definitely be rewarded but in time, I believe it would also come tumbling down because it is as if they're digging their own graves, if not in this life, perhaps the one after unless of course, they'd have a change of heart; I am in the belief that the tax collector is not too far off to be redeemed. But then again, climbing up the Jenga stack of politics would require one to pull off the pieces which in the long run would undermine the foundation with which one tries to build a dynasty.

And that, I believe has been what the relationship of the Philippines with the US has been. Being the underdog, we would have to play by the rules of the game because if we were to play around it, we'd be shot down, not necessarily literally, not in this day and age that is, but more of a creeping sense where seemingly insignificant and innocuous actions and statements have within them a deep-seated animosity driven by the desire to maintain the status quo of power and oppression, not in a slavery-type of way but much like the caste system predominant in India or any system which perpetuates a social hierarchy where the disadvantaged would continue to be so while the privileged would proliferate their own, and those in the outliers, who have been ostracized would never be permitted entry.

I'm not saying that I'm against the US but seeing that the actions that they have made over the course of history have been motivated by their own interests and yet they would hinder others to act on their own interests is such a heinous hypocrisy and setting up such highfalutin causes to mask the true agenda of their actions is such an underhanded tactic that it is so disheartening to think that we are at their mercy. And yet we have no choice but to acquiesce because we need to take care of our economy and since the way to do that is to maintain relations with those who are running the global economy, we have to agree to their terms.

In the meantime, I believe that the Philippine government has to keep face with the international community which is quite difficult since the President has been very polarizing, making deals with China, establishing ties with Russia, and at the same time, reinforcing relations with Japan, and being cordial with the new US President who has also been very polarizing in the past year. And who could forget his threats against the UN and impudence toward the former US President.

New avenues for international relations?

Without really severing ties with the US and rather just simply distancing from them, the Philippines has to look for other nations to ally with which the President has found in our neighboring countries and China and Russia. The ASEAN being one of the fastest growing economic blocs in the world gives us the opportunity to recuperate from the possible repercussions of drifting away from the shadow of Uncle Sam.

It seems quite an uncanny coincidence that with the vocal sentiments of the Philippine President about the US, he then turns to two countries who also have complicated relations with the US. Not only that but the amiable response that these two countries have shown to the entreaties of the President also seems strange but in a certain sense, it's also the logical way especially considering the tense relationship that the previous administration had with one of these countries with regard to the dispute in one of our waters.

We can't really judge the decision of our President since he endeavors only to do what he thinks is best for his country which he has always been using to justify his actions. And from a pragmatic point of view, it does make sense for him to look for other allies and use some sort of bilateral diplomacy that would give him access to other options for relations in the international community and with the choices he has made thus far, I think we have yet to see what more he would do.

Image to the international community?

This leads us to how the international community views us especially the investors who would be vital for the goal of this administration to spur economic growth and to expand the economic development to include those from the marginalized sectors of society. From what I have heard, it has been a promising venture, in the economic sense at least, to focus on infrastructure since many investors are already flocking to put their capital here in the Philippines. The economic outcomes may be good, it may be neutral, and it may become bad depending on the perception that other countries have about us which is probably why it is a must for the President to be cognizant of his rhetoric and to choose his words more carefully to be on the good side of investors especially since his word becomes policy, or acts in that way as people would be expect that he will do as he says, if it aligns with his objectives.

With regard to other international governing bodies, we may not necessarily be on a good light but I think that it would not be the case throughout this administration's term and I am holding on to the hope that it would become better in the long run once the ills of our society and government would be reduced through the efforts being done by the President. But then, I would also think that this is no easy task and it's not just his task to assure that this gets accomplished each one of us as citizens of this country have the responsibility to act collectively despite our differences in opinion for the betterment of our country and posterity.

Internal politics and government?

And that brings us to how our government and our politics factors in all of this because despite the fact that the Philippines is a rich country full of natural resources and talented, skilled intellectuals, professionals, and workers, there still is an overarching sense of divide and obstinacy that hinders us from uniting and moving forward. I know each one of us has a deeply held value and belief that is sacred to us and that we would not want to be debased or ignored but there are cases when we have to set aside our differences for the common good.

Corruption is still rampant, poverty is pervasive, inequity is somewhat the norm, so there needs to be an internal change that should happen before any kind of collective change would happen. At the bottom line, it all starts with the individual, to have the right kind of mindset and perspective, and then we can hold our government accountable because once we have done our part, we have submitted to their authority, we have followed the laws and statutes of the land, then we can know that the issue would not be due to the individual citizens' doing rather it would be because of the institutions that govern the society.

I have great hope for my country but much needs to be done before we can attain any kind of progress. For me, it's not about how advanced our technology is, how sophisticated our economic or political systems are, or how modern our practices and institutions are. It all depends on how we as a nation act as one people.