Paul Laxalt: A friend of the Philippines

News about the death of former Nevada Senator Paul Laxalt at the age of 96 brings back memories of my days as a broadcast journalist working for RPN Channel 9. Senator Laxalt played a major role in influencing the course of Philippine history. 

A close personal friend of President Ronald Reagan, Laxalt was sent to Manila in October 1985 to express US concern about the situation in the Philippines, especially with the communist insurgency and the growing unrest among Filipinos. 

Being an executive of KBS Channel 9, I happened to be in Malacañang when Senator Laxalt went to see President Marcos. 

Days prior to the EDSA People Power Revolution in February 1986, then Trade Minister Bobby Ongpin, US Special Envoy Philip Habib and US Ambassador Stephen Bosworth were all in and out of the Palace meeting President Marcos regarding the situation. 

The Americans obviously wanted to make sure that things would not get out of hand, that the unrest would not escalate and that violence would be prevented. But it was Laxalt who effectively gave the now famous message to Marcos during a telephone conversation that it was time to leave, saying, “Mr. President… you should cut, and cut cleanly. I think the time has come.”

Although Laxalt was careful to emphasize that he was only talking for himself, everyone knew he was very close to Reagan – he was actually dubbed as the “First Friend” – and so his words essentially carried the weight of the US president. He also conveyed President Reagan’s offer for Marcos to come to the United States.   

A conservative Republican, Paul Laxalt’s involvement with the Philippines, so to speak, goes back to the Second World War when he served as an Army medic and saw action in the Battle of Leyte. After the war, he went to law school, became a district attorney in Nevada and never lost a case, then went on to have a successful career as a private lawyer.

Laxalt’s friendship with Reagan began when they both served as governor in their respective states – he in Nevada and Reagan in California. He went on to become senator, during which time he established an “intern” program that allowed college-age students to work in his Senate office that was equivalent to a semester in college. Among the students who benefited from this program is current Nevada governor Brian Sandoval who ordered all US and state flags at public buildings across the state to be flown at half-mast. 

As the current Philippine Ambassador to the United States, I am pleased to say that we have a number of good friends in the US Congress who continue to be interested in the Philippines, among them Colorado Senator Corey Gardner who is also chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity; Arizona Senator and the Senate Armed Services Committee chair John McCain (who was described by Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano as “a good friend and champion of the Philippines”); and Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska who has high praises for Filipinos living in his state – all 30,000 of them.

Majority of Filipinos today still regard the relationship between the US and the Philippines as special. While the partnership has remained strong over the years, things are now at a new level with equal respect and sovereignty as hallmarks that both President Duterte and President Trump subscribe to.

President Donald Trump wants America’s allies to be strong and independent nations who have the capability and the resources to solve their own problems. Many legislators and officials in the United States continue to follow the developments in the Philippines including all the issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea, hoping that the maritime disputes would ultimately be resolved peacefully. 

While American involvement has diminished through the years, the friendship and cooperation between the two nations is constant particularly because there are so many issues of mutual concern, among them security and violent extremism. Obviously, the US would like to see the Philippines achieve a strong defense posture to counter external threats – something which the Revised AFP Modernization Program (RAFPMP) hopes to achieve. 

President Duterte has already given the green light for the second phase of the RAFPMP, known as Horizon 2 which will run from 2018 to 2022. As we all know, the Philippine military needs to purchase equipment and hardware, and there is an extensive shopping list for the AFP’s three branches of service, with the budget for the five-year program placed at around P300 billion.

According to the president, there are several projects now in the pipeline, all geared toward a modern, adequately equipped security force that can meet the current challenges of terrorism and external security. The US in fact is spending a lot of money to monitor terrorist activities and support ground patrols in places that are deemed to be dangerous.

The experience with Marawi City also underscores the need for tighter collaboration between the two nations in the fight against extremist terrorists, specifically ISIS that has been eyeing the Philippines as its next “wilayat” (province). The US Pentagon is allocating close to $5 million for the US Marine Corps’ mission in the Philippines to expand counter-terrorism operations. Both Malaysia and Indonesia have joined forces with the Philippines in combating extremism and trilateral crimes including the illegal drugs trade. 

Based on my first-hand experience and observation of our recent history, I am totally convinced the relationship between the Philippines and the United States will continue to be stronger and definitely difficult to unravel.

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