Is China really a better ally than America?

The problem with our geographical and political realities is that while our country is in the edge of Asia, and thus nearer to China, the indubitable truth is that we have always been historically closer to the United States of America. For more than a century and a decade, the Philippines and the US stood together against many enemies and against many natural and man-made disasters and calamities. China had always been too near and yet too far, too unreachable. Today, our chief executive is leading the whole Philippines to an entirely different path. He is, in fact, about to visit the People's Republic of China, while continuing to attack the Americans with harsh words.

Is this the direction that the whole nation wants? If we have to befriend a superpower that continues to bully us in the West Philippine Sea, do we have to antagonize and abandon our long-standing friendship with the US? With all its imperfections, its excesses and its inadequacies, America is, to my mind, still the better friend. There are millions of our compatriots who are now in the US, either as permanent residents, proud of their green cards, or US citizens who have pledged allegiance to America. On the other hand, the Filipinos who are in China constitutes a negligible number, many of whom are drug convicts. There are more US investments in our country. The Chinese do not invest much except to inundate our markets with cheap and unsafe goods.

Of course, the USA is not a perfect friend, but come on guys, which country can claim perfection?  At least, for more than a century and 16 years now, we have had a strong alliance with the Americans. We fought under the same flag against the Japanese. We fought under the same flag against North Korea when we sent our PEFTOK (Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea) under the Colonel Nicanor T. Jimenez. We fought under the same flag against then North Vietnam, when we sent the PHILCAG (Philippine Civic Action Group) to fight and defend South Vietnam. Our soldiers and theirs shared all the pains and difficulties in all sorts of battle terrains. We can look back to a long history of cooperation and alliance. Why waste all those?

What has China done to our country and to our people? Whenever we are faced with natural disasters and man-made disasters, it is always the US and the Western allies that come to our succor and assistance. Earthquakes, floods, super typhoons, or pestilences and plagues, it is always America that stood by us. China would send some token once in a while but they are not really there to make us feel cared for and assisted to the hilt. The US had given the Philippines many and varying assistances and aids. When China started to bully us in the West Philippine Sea, it is the US which stood up and sent Beijing a clear message that the USA will not stand idly, folding its hands, if and when China violates our territorial domains.

We have millions of Filipinos now in the US, while we have a few hundreds being jailed in China for drug-related crimes and some are even due for execution. The US, with all its imperfections, has proven to be a better ally than anyone else, better than Japan, better than Australia, better than Canada (which dumped its thousands of tons of garbage into our country). The US, of course, has also benefited from the US-Phl relations. But that is the nature of foreign bilaterial relations -- with reciprocity and mutuality. There had been some excesses and aberrations committed by US servicemen, abuses if you will. But in totality, I strongly submit that China can never be better than the US as an ally. What matters most is that the Philippines and America do share a lot of values, principles and aspirations, a lot of ties. We don't have any of that with China.