MANY of our young people are unfamiliar with how the Philippines gradually lost its islands in the West Philippine Sea and now grapples with the threat of creeping invasion on our national territory. The US-Israel war on Iran unfolding halfway around the globe reminds us that geopolitical conflicts can quickly spill over into our backyard. For the Philippines, fighting for sovereignty is elusive and limited to preaching nationalistic sentiments.
In 1991, nationalist senators voted against extending the lease of the US military facilities at the Subic Naval and Clark Air Base in Pampanga, then the largest military installations outside the US. By 1995, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army had occupied the Mischief Reef in the Spratlys Islands, well within our exclusive economic zone.
The pattern of encroachment in the Spratlys continued. In 2012, a tense standoff erupted at Scarborough Shoal after our navy attempted to apprehend Chinese fishing vessels. A US-brokered agreement saw the Philippine withdrawing from Scarborough, but China didn’t and now it effectively controls the shoal. Our option was to pursue arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled in our favor and rejected China’s “nine dash line.” Yet, the island features were not handed back to us. In fact, China intensified its fortifications over these islands, stationing a military garrison and installing radar surveillance, a 3,500-meter airstrip, cruise missiles and ship destroyers.
This chain of events that undermined our sovereignty points to our misplaced nationalism.
Misplaced nationalism occurs when the sense of patriotism is blurred by futility, sentimentality, irreverence and reckless bravado. In exasperation, some lawmakers even argued that the Philippines should just drop its claims in the West Philippine Sea to avoid confrontation with China. Others push for foolhardy actions, supporting military adventurism without even the capability to back them up.
Such clashing views also resonate with the intensifying rivalry among dominant political families. The Duterte political dynasty has been pro-China, with overtures from its patriarch suggesting friendlier relations with China. Meanwhile, the Marcos government has thrown its lot with the Americans. Such is the reality of geopolitics — smaller and weaker nations often find themselves balancing between two competing global powers.
Some extremist hawks are forcing outright confrontation with China through provocative actions that intend to put the Marcos administration in a dilemma. They openly conduct resupply missions and broadcast them live before the world, ostensibly to gain sympathy. But other countries are struggling with their own challenges. These moves are reckless and can only escalate a full-blown confrontation with China. Without a strong military and minimum defense capability, such misplaced nationalism provides China the justification to attack our navy and marines forces in the West Philippine Sea. The US Indo-Pacific Fleet will not even rush to the defense of these contested islands.
Meanwhile, progressive and socialist groups insist that the Philippines should veer away from both hegemons — the US and China — and pursue an independent foreign policy. But this is a pie in the sky. Nationalism cannot survive on lofty ideas and resistance alone; it must be demonstrated by military might.
For an independent foreign policy to become a reality, the country must invest in our defense. This entails a larger budget for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, compelling the country’s citizens into military service and repurposing infrastructures for air shelter and defense. Yet since the removal of the US facilities in 1991, Congress has not adequately funded the modernization of the AFP. Ironically, several former military camps were sold off to private conglomerates for commercial development.
Sadly, most Filipinos are apathetic to the outcomes of these claims. For them, these reefs and shoals are too distant from their daily struggles, even though these waters hold vital fisheries, strategic navigation lanes and even host energy resources.
So, quo vadis?
The national leadership must establish a coherent strategy in responding to China’s aggressive behavior. While parrying China’s claims, the country’s foreign relations and diplomatic officials must work the backdoor channels with Chinese officials to avoid miscalculations between our forces. Meanwhile, Congress must support the AFP in building its credible anti-access and anti-denial capabilities through surface-to-air missiles systems, modern patrol vessels and aircraft fighters. The Self-Reliant Defense Industry law must be executed immediately. The private sector must invest in major infrastructure that could be repurposed for civil defense and other emergencies. Education institutions should strengthen academic programs that cultivate civic duty, disaster preparedness and national resilience.
Nationalism cannot be sustained by empty rhetoric or grandiose words. Nationalism is to expect that no country will defend our sovereign interest more fiercely than we will. Nationalism is to put our money where our mouth is. And it is cultivating martial values, honor and sacrifice. Absent all these, everything is simply misplaced nationalism.