Campaign of disunity must be nipped in the bud

The Marcos-Duterte UniTeam has disintegrated. It was flimsy in the first place, never founded on creed or principles but on political interest. Both camps collide in practically all facets of governance, and nowhere is this more apparent than in foreign policy, particularly on our relations with China and America.

Their foreign policy differences are as stark as night and day. How do they differ and which works better?

Mr. Duterte adopted a policy of appeasement towards China, coupled with overt hostility towards America. His stance remains the same today and for the most part, adopted by the Vice President. Has it been effective? Let’s put this way – we are where we are today due to the lack of deterrence on the Philippines’ part during the Duterte years.

Meekness and weakness were akin to an open invitation for China to have its way on our sovereign territories with impunity. So notwithstanding years of humble servitude and red carpet treatment for the Chinese, Beijing never stopped its illegal annexation and militarization of the West Philippine Sea.

Mr. Duterte failed to detect that China views meekness with contempt and opportunistic lust. The absence of pushback from the Philippine government only accelerated China’s maritime incursion. Worse, Beijing wrote-off Mr. Duterte as a “given” and saw no need to make good on its $24-billion investment pledges. Why should they when China’s interest was already being served? Mr. Duterte showed his personal bias too early and the Chinese took advantage of it. It was an amateur move.

So with Mr. Duterte’s policy of appeasement, we ended up with an occupied West Philippine Sea and nearly no economic benefits from China to show for it.

Marcos’ China policy

The Marcos government understands that a country need not be pro-China or pro-America, exclusively. Relationships between nations are nuanced, depending on where the country’s best interests lie. So while the Marcos government pursues vibrant economic and cultural relations with China, it also pursues defense alliances with like-minded countries.

Marcos’ parameters are clear in as far as our relationship with China and the WPS are concerned. He clearly defined them during the recently concluded ASEAN Summit in Jakarta. They are as follows:

That the Philippines condemns the illegal grab and militarization of the WPS; that the Philippines and like-minded nations will not allow the peaceful order in the disputed waters to be disrupted by a country with  hegemonic ambitions; that the use of coast guards and maritime militia for coercive activities is a cause for escalation; that  peace and stability in the maritime domain can only flourish in a regime anchored on the rule of law; that UNCLOS is the primordial framework within which activities in the maritime domain are to be conducted; that there is a need for a code of conduct among nations; that actions, not words, are the ultimate measure of our collective commitment to ensure peace in the WPS.

Early in his presidency, President Marcos declared that he will not allow a single inch of Philippine territory to be subsumed by China. Neither would he allow the Philippines to be bullied. He also acknowledges the validity of the 2016 arbitral ruling of ITLOS.

The position of the Marcos government is consistent with the will of the people. A recent survey by the Stratbase Institute revealed that 79 percent of Filipinos choose the US as its ally in the West Philippine Sea row. Further, 80 percent of the population consider the protection of fishing rights in the disputed waters a top priority. The same supermajority say that the Philippines must not engage with China on security sensitive industries like telecommunications.

The Philippines was right to expand the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) as it gives both credence and substance to the Mutual Defense Treaty between America and the Philippines. Look at it from America’s perspective – why should they stand in the Philippines’ defense if its own government is pro-China, hostile to the West and unwilling to capacitate the US in fulfilling its defense commitments to its allies. Expanding EDCA shows that our values are aligned.

Similarly, the ratification of multilateral defense agreements with like-minded countries like Japan, Australia and South Korea are indications that the Philippines is among nations who espouse the rules-based global order and a free and open Indo-Pacific. EDCA and the rest of our defense alliances serve as effective deterrence against China’s aggression.

Marcos’ foreign policy opened the floodgates of international support for the Philippines’ cause. It resulted in closer cooperation with countries like Canada, the UK and the EU, for whom we will do well to ratify an EDCA with. It also caused China to view the Philippines not as a “given” but with respect.

Sowing disunity

There are forces trying to divide the country. Trolls associated with Mr. Duterte are back on social media in full force. Masquerading as political commentary, the trolls criticize Marcos’ foreign policy with such rancor that their intent to discredit, destabilize and divide is obvious.

What’s alarming is that the trolls propagate China’s narrative, untrue as they are, and force-feed them to the unsuspecting public. They have gone so far as to blame our own government and countrymen for the bullying we suffer and for escalating tensions with China.

The trolls are causing confusion and dividing the nation and this posts grave threats to national security. It is so dangerous that it deserves a Senate and/or congressional inquiry… because a divided nation will never prosper amid the security challenges we face against China. It will make us weaker in a situation where we are already at a disadvantage. This treasonous campaign must be nipped in the bud.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan