Pragmatism: Key to our foreign relations

Let’s face it, majority of Filipinos welcome the presence of American troops in the country especially now with the current problem with China. Although as they say the Philippines had over ‘300 years of living in a convent and only 50 years of exposure to Hollywood,’ there is no mistaking the special bond between the Philippines and US has been embraced even more now by Pinoys. US President Obama’s visit to Manila late next month is highly anticipated by many people.

An estimated four million Filipinos work and live in the US in almost all facets of society, and at any given time about two dozen work in the White House serving in various capacities. Every day, about 1,000 Filipinos line up at the US Embassy for visas. The fact is, the relationship is not one-sided as some leftists keep insisting since there are a number of wide-ranging benefits for the Philippines in allowing the increased rotational presence of American troops in the country. Obviously the presence of US troops is a key deterrent to Chinese aggression over disputed maritime territories. Most countries allied with a superpower like the US have some form of military agreement that is considered pragmatic. While the president has issued fighting words saying “what is ours is ours” and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin declared that Filipino troops will defend our sovereignty up to the last soldier standing, it is very clear our military capability to defend ourselves from outside threats is “very thin.”

Some facts are clear: The United States is among our top trading partners, not to mention the top foreign investor in the Philippines. But beyond the realm of dimes and dollars or pesos and cents, there are deep emotional ties that have been forged over the years as Filipinos fought side-by-side with Americans during World War II. When the Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in November last year, the US was the first to respond to our call for help. The aircraft carrier USS George Washington fortunately docked in Hong Kong at the time was immediately dispatched by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The US carrier with its crew of 5,000 headed straight for the Gulf of Leyte, offloading planes to make way for additional helicopters that were used to drop supplies of food and water in hard-to-reach areas. That US troops played a major role in relief efforts and were instrumental in saving hundred of lives have been confirmed by CNN and local officials. In fact, residents told us that the presence of the Americans lessened the hopelessness and despair that came in the aftermath of the super typhoon. That alone was enough for the poor victims to utter a prayer of thanks at having the US come to their aid.

Government officials like Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario have been doing what they can to make the relationship between our two countries equable, and people who keep saying that the US is just out to take undue advantage of our situation with China are either naive or misguided. Even before China started its saber rattling antics and escalated its belligerence, security relations between the Philippines and the US have already been in place on account of certain bilateral agreements like the 1947 US-Philippines Military Bases Agreement and the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. Although the Americans left the bases in 1992 when senators voted down the Philippine-American Cooperation and Friendship Treaty that would have allowed the extension of US bases in the Philippines, security relations were once again invigorated with the ratification of the Visiting Forces Agreement in 1999. Many agree that our strengthened partnership with the US is important not only in maintaining security but in combatting drug trafficking, arms smuggling and other transnational crimes.

The US however also realizes the importance of maintaining cordial relations with China, which is clearly why it has embarked on “cultural diplomacy” through US First Lady Michelle Obama’s weeklong visit to Beijing which started last Thursday. Observers did not miss the significant timing of Michelle’s trip since it “coincides” with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of US-China diplomatic relations. The US First Lady is in Beijing for educational and cultural exchanges, and the sight of her interacting with Chinese students is certainly a stroke of positive diplomacy as far as the Chinese are concerned.

We too recognize the practicality of maintaining cordial relations with a big economic power like China. While we probably need them more than they need us, we must continue to find ways in using economic ties as a way to reach out without having to sacrifice our integrity and sovereignty. After all, we have a lot of Filipino-Chinese businessmen who have established businesses in China that can be our “special envoys.”

The late vice president Doy Laurel was actually one of the first government officials to visit China in 1972. While Doy was known as an “American Boy” having gone to Yale Law School, he had the foresight and saw the need to establish special relations with China after meeting with Zhou En Lai. In fact, when we visited US President Richard Nixon at his Saddle River home in New Jersey, Nixon jokingly told then Vice President Laurel that only the two of them had the right foresight about China. (You may read more about Doy Laurel in the Allure section of the STAR today.)

In the final analysis, the practical approach regarding relations with other countries is the key to the survival of our country. Nationalism with pragmatism is still the best foreign policy.

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