LAST MAY 11, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden called President-Elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to congratulate him on his recent election. President Biden expressed his intentions to continue strengthening the alliance between the two countries.
Biden said that he looks forward to working with Bongbong to continue strengthening the century-old US-Philippines alliance, “while expanding bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues, which includes the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, promoting broad-based economic growth, and respect for human rights.”
Bongbong’s spokesperson, Atty. Vic Rodriguez, said that the Philippines’ relationship with the U.S. “will get better” under Marcos Jr.’s presidency.
Rodriguez said that the foreign policy of Bongbong would be “inclusive” while also ensuring that the interests of the Filipino people “come first and are never compromised, especially on our territorial integrity. We will not be exclusive to anyone.” Hmm… I think that should be directed at China and not the U.S.
Bongbong, however, said he would maintain the Philippines’ alliance with the U.S., and tread carefully with Beijing over a West Philippine Sea territorial dispute.
Military deals between the U.S. and the Philippines “are advantageous to both countries,” Marcos told a virtual forum. The alliance between the two nations is “a special relationship,” and the U.S. “can do many things” to help the Philippines, he said.
But he rejects the idea of aligning with just one country, and said the Philippines should carefully navigate its tensions with China. “You have to be friends with everyone. You don’t want to be enemies with anyone,” he said. Well, the Philippines has always been on friendly terms with everyone including China, which often borders on maritime disputes.
Treaty alliance
But Marcos Jr. should be reminded that the Philippines has only one defense treaty, which is with the U.S. The U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) has been in effect since 1951. The two countries also have a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which was just extended recently. They also have the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA). In other words, the U.S. and Philippines are bound to each other like Siamese twins. You attack one and you attack the other. I think Marcos Jr. should take advantage of such military and defense arrangements. Under EDCA, it allows the U.S. to rotate troops into the Philippines for extended stays and allows the U.S. to build and operate facilities on Philippine bases, for both American and Philippine forces. However, the U.S. is not allowed to establish any permanent military bases. It also gives Philippine personnel access to American ships and planes.
Bongbong is eyeing a deal with China to resolve the West Philippine Sea territorial dispute. He vowed never to give up “a single square inch” of the area where the country has sovereign rights.
Maritime dispute
The maritime dispute was one of the topics that Marcos Jr. and President Xi Jinping talked about over the phone when the Chinese leader congratulated him for winning in the presidential election.
Marcos said he does not believe in the old thinking of the Cold War, where countries were either allies of the United States or the then-Soviet Union.
“I think that we have to be just fine with independent foreign policy where we are friends with everyone…. We have to be good neighbors and we ask them to be good neighbors to them. It is of mutual benefit to our countries,” he said.
“We have to form alliances and partnerships because no country can do this, can recover or can change the geopolitical situation on their own. And that’s why we have to forge partnerships, and those are the partnerships that will keep things stable,” he added.
Continue Duterte’s policy
Although Bongbong vowed to continue Duterte’s pro-Beijing foreign policy and downplays the US-Philippines alliance, the fact remains that the Philippines is aligned with the U.S., having four defense agreements from mutual defense, to allowing U.S. forces on Philippine soil, to providing bases for American forces, and using the Philippines as a facility to store weapons. Indeed, the Philippines is aligned with Uncle Sam in any way you look at it.
However, he laid out his position on China, saying that he would set aside the landmark 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruling on the West Philippine Sea in favor of the Philippines over China. In essence, it effectively ruled Beijing’s nine-dash line claim to the sea had no legal basis under the UNCLOS.
Bongbong’s naivete
It’s his opinion that the Philippines’ arbitral victory against China was “not effective” and that the “only practical option” for resolving the territorial dispute was a bilateral agreement with China. He believes that he can come to an agreement with China, which just shows his naivete about how China operates on the world stage.
Bongbong went further in saying he would dismiss any potential offer of assistance from Uncle Sam in negotiating with China, which makes one wonder: How is Bongbong going to deal when more than 200 Chinese ships cordoned off the Whitsun Reef that prevented Filipino fishermen from fishing in the area? It happened not too long ago and Duterte couldn’t do anything until American warships led by an aircraft carrier sailed through as Chinese warships began dispersing away.
Evidently, Marcos Jr. is veering towards appeasing China hoping that diplomacy would prevail. But by the same token, his relationship with the Biden administration is undergoing some adjustments. He’ll never forget the day when the U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt called the senior Marcos on February 26, 1986. “Senator,” Marcos asked, “what do you think? Should I step down?”
Laxalt, who felt a rush of sympathy for Marcos, replied, “I think you should cut, and cut cleanly. I think the time has come.”
There was a long pause that seemed to last for minutes. Finally, Marcos said softly, in a dispirited voice, “I am so very, very disappointed.”
In the end, Marcos got the bad news that his 20-year rule had to end from the senator who had brought him warnings from President Reagan four months earlier and who, he knew, spoke with presidential authority.
Marcos Sr. then realized that without President Reagan’s support, he didn’t have a chance of survival. He and his family boarded an American helicopter that flew them to Clark Air Base. Then they boarded an American airplane on their way to exile.
Marcos had one last wish: To go to Paoay, Ilocos Norte and stay in the safety of his home province. However, the pilot had an explicit order: Bring the Marcoses to Hawaii.
Bongbong should—nay, must—never forget that. History has a way of repeating itself.