EDITORIAL - Rebuilding ties with the US

July 4, 2022 will mark the 246th anniversary of US independence. Since we are ahead of them when it comes to daylight hours, allow us to issue advance wishes to the US --not to mention our countless family and friends living there-- for a happy Independence Day celebration.

In case the administration of our new president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was not thinking about it, we would like to suggest it takes the effort and does all it can to strengthen our ties with the US again.

While it would not be right to say we severed ties with the US during Duterte’s administration, we cannot say it flourished either. In fact, it became more strained, what with Duterte’s constant haranguing of everything that was American and his praise of everything that was Chinese, the country that currently seeks to supplant US influence in this part of the world.

Again, it seems our pivot from the US to China, not just economically but also geopolitically, at the guidance of the former president, seemed to stem more from his personal hatred of the US, as opposed to something advised by those around him.

It is fortunate that most Filipinos never totally followed where the former president was leading. Mainly because Filipinos can never stomach the ideals of Communism.

Whether we like it or not, we will never stop having anything to do with the US. They are a huge part of our history. They heavily influenced our educational system, our system of governance and, for many of us, even the way we live and entertain ourselves. In short how we live our daily lives.

The US also hosts a huge number of our family and friends, many of whom provide mainly for the people living here. Until now it continues to help our government and other institutions in many ways including training and funding.

Unlike other countries that pretend to have our interest at heart, the US has been our friend all these years. Sure, it was not an easy friendship, and at times it even seemed more of a friendship of convenience rather than anything else, but at least it does not smile at us in the face while stabbing us in the back.

For sure the US is not the perfect friend, but it is so much better than other countries that pretend to be. Again, a happy Independence Day to the US.