President Macapagal-Arroyo’s successful state visit

Going by reports from all sources, Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s US State visit has been an outstanding success. By success, we mean that it will further strengthen the good relationship that we have always had with the United States. This is because of the hard stance that President Macapagal-Arroyo has taken against world terrorists.

Our relations with the United States go back to over a century. It started with the war against Spain that culminated with the Battle of Manila Bay. After Spain lost the war, the Americans "purchased" the Philippines from Spain. The Filipinos of course, did not recognize the purchase and declared war on the new colonizers. Eventually, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo surrendered and the Filipinos and Americans ended up as allies in Bataan and Corregidor.

The Philippines is very fortunate in having had two great colonizers. It was the Spanish conquest that determined the borders of our country. The Philippines was the part of Asia conquered by Spain. The Spanish Empire was the first empire where the sun never set. We are the only Christian nation in this part of the world. The Spaniards founded the University of Santo Tomas before the Americans founded Harvard. And their efforts to educate the Filipinos were so successful that the literacy rate in the Philippines was higher than the literacy rate in Spain itself.

Today we are one of the largest English-speaking nations in the world. There are more English speakers in the Philippines than in the British Isles itself, Canada or Australia.

Since the Spanish times, we were the most economically developed nation next to Japan. The galleon trade between Manila and Acapulco was the very first truly international world trade because it involved not only Asia and Europe but also the new world.

Our biggest economic setback happened during our times. After two decades of Marcos rule, from the second most progressive nation in Asia, we degenerated to the second poorest country in Asia next to Bangladesh.

We will have to attract foreign capital if we are going to catch up with our neighboring countries. The biggest detriment to this is the peace and order situation. We have the Abu Sayyaf, the Moro Islamic Liberation Force and the communist rebels that are giving the world the impression that we are in a state of rebellion. Actually, they are all terrorist groups.

Fortunately, the United States has declared war against world terrorists. Our armed forces can cope with these terrorist groups. It will help however if they can get aid from the United States. By aid we mean providing our armed forces with the necessary military training and equipment.