PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for a reset in our relations with China, marred lately by the nth round of rough confrontations between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards.
In truth, we need to reset not only how our government deals with Beijing, but more so the way it deals with our people, and how we care for the most vulnerable and distressed of our nation.
Quite simply, if we continue to do things as we have done since self-rule began eight decades ago and democracy revived four decades past, we will suffer gravely within this decade. Mostly spared from justice, scammers will be back.
Neglected and exploited by political and business elites, the poor will fall deeper and deeper into destitution and agony. And Washington and Tokyo weaponizing our nation against China could bring us deadly devastation like Ukraine and America’s Middle East allies.
To head off these looming debacles, three policy directions are put forward as paragraphs that should have been included in President Marcos’ July 27 State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Watch the rulers
First, right after the SONA’s opening section on the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, easily the worst spate of corruption in our history even without considering similar scams in dozens of provinces besides Bulacan, the following paragraphs, in Filipino translation, should have spelled out the undeniable governance challenge in our land and how to address it:
“Let’s face it, my countrymen, the government cannot be left alone to police itself without constant oversight from the people. Even after repeated bouts of public outrage, government crackdowns and pledges to reform governance, including two uprisings that unseated presidents, corruption has always roared back after our anger subsides.
“The solution is to prevent corruption rather than trying to catch after billions have been stolen. To do that, we must have mechanisms for the citizenry, especially stakeholders of agencies, empowered to monitor and advise the government on policies, actions and anomalies.
“Hence, I shall issue an executive order instituting multisectoral advisory councils, or MSACs, at national and regional levels of all agencies in the Executive branch, similar to those set up in 2010 by selected Cabinet departments, the Civil Service Commission, the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines under reforms urged by the US Millennium Challenge Corp.
“Notably, the MSAC has been instrumental in raising public approval and trust in the AFP. We hope to do the same with national agencies through stakeholder councils watching and weighing in on agency planning, operations and governance. Kung nakabantay ang taong bayan, mas ligtas ang kaban ng bayan.”
Protect the vulnerable
Next, we must take resolute action for the protection and uplift of the poorest of the poor, starting with those facing deadly calamity hazards. They are the most aggrieved victims of flood control sleaze, and the paragraphs below aim to boost disaster prevention and readiness while also harnessing big business resources and management:
“Catching crooks in the flood control scam is just one imperative, arguably the less urgent one, in addressing those anomalies. Far more urgent is upgrading disaster prevention and readiness in hazard areas where millions of our poor kababayan live in life- and livelihood-threatening conditions.
“To speedily address the threats against our less fortunate countrymen in disaster-prone areas, I instruct the National Disaster Risk Reduction, Readiness and Recovery Management Council to list the most urgent projects for the protection of vulnerable communities for inclusion in the 2027 national appropriations bill for submission in August.
“And to expedite implementation and better ensure competence and integrity, I call on the top 1,000 corporations of the country and other major enterprises to partner with relevant agencies and local governments to help plan, manage and fund the projects.
“These businesses will be included in project management mechanisms, and the government shall match whatever funds they allocate while also deducting what they spend from their taxable income. Dapat magtulungan ang pamahalaan at kalakal para sa kaligtasan ng masang Pilipino.”
Peace-building in Asia
The third issue takes off from President Marcos’ call to reset our China relations. They were on a positive trajectory during his January 2023 state visit to Beijing, when he espoused neutrality not just for the Philippines, but also Asia. He also favored negotiations to resolve differences and undertake cooperative activities in disputed areas, including joint exploration.
Marcos even opposed US involvement in our China disputes. “The Americans offered to mediate, but I said no because you are a party in interest,” he said in a China Global Television Network interview.
That all changed after then US defense secretary Lloyd Austin visited weeks later in February 2023. At Washington’s behest, Marcos implemented the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), escalating US military rotations here with access to nine AFP bases.
Thus, with nuclear-capable US forces given access to our territory, we suffered the same nasty treatment that Cuba got when it nearly installed Russian nuclear missiles in 1962, and Ukraine now suffers for seeking to join the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which would bring nuclear-capable Western forces within minutes by missile from Moscow.
So, to reduce frictions with China as well as superpower confrontation, President Marcos should have reasserted his longstanding positions, to wit:
“We applaud President Donald Trump’s effort to ease tensions with China by setting aside his predecessor’s policies toward Taiwan, stressing that he was not seeking independence for the island or waging war 9,600 miles from America.
“On that same note, I reiterate my longstanding policy, which I expressly stated during my May 2023 visit to Washington, that the EDCA and other military cooperation with our allies is only for our own defense and not for hostilities over Taiwan.
“I also instruct the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces to closely coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs in our actions in the West Philippine Sea to advance our sovereign rights through sincere bilateral negotiations while minimizing confrontation.
“Ito ang hangad natin at ng buong Asya.”