'Hurray! We're back in Hollywood!'

“Fifty years in Hollywood and 350 years in a convent” best describes our history under our previous colonial masters  the Americans and the Spaniards. Today, we find ourselves “back in Hollywood” with American influence in the Philippines stronger than ever. To many Filipinos, it is a welcome development considering what’s happening in Scarborough Shoal. The Chinese have absolutely bullied us into this situation, giving the Philippines hardly any choice but to ask our longtime ally, the United States, to come and visit us more often. Hence, we have opened up Subic and Clark for more American troops to use under the VFA initiative.

While we look at our relationship with the United States as unique and special with the Philippines patterning its government institution along the lines of the American democratic system, the time came when the Philippines wanted to show that it can do away with the permeating presence of its “big brother.” In 1992, the US finally left its bases in Subic and Clark after the Philippine Senate rejected a treaty that would have extended American presence in the country. 

Twenty years later, the Philippines now faces a problem with China who is asserting ownership over Scarborough Shoal and disputed areas in the Spratlys. Obviously, we have to make every effort in resolving the impasse with this country that no nation can ignore because of its growing economic clout not only in the region but in the global arena. While it is clear that we have to be circumspect in issues involving territorial disputes and sovereignty without appearing confrontational, we cannot allow ourselves to be placed in a corner, either.

Which is why the Philippines now finds itself strengthening its friendship with its longtime ally, the United States, which has tacitly admitted its growing concern over China’s creeping power and influence. While the US has publicly stated that it remains neutral over the issue with China, it’s not very difficult to read between the lines especially with US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s admission of their shifting focus, a.k.a. “pivot,” to Asia. This is underscored by the high profile visit of Panetta to Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam plus the recent military build-up in Australia — much to the irritation of China which denounced what it termed as US interference in issues that should only concern nations in Asia.

Like the Philippines, most other countries are also wary of the increasing prominence of China and how it will impact the balance of power in the Asia Pacific region. The meeting between President Aquino and US President Barack Obama should serve like a douse of cold reality on those who keep insisting that we can go it on our own — since as Secretary Ricky Carandang admitted, “weakness invites aggression,” and I fully agree. Unfortunately, we don’t even have a “minimum credible defense posture” given the current dearth of vessels and aircraft to shore up our external security and defense capability. 

In any case, we still have to reach out to China and find a way to balance our relationship with the West. The administration needs to look seriously at the suggestion made by former president Fidel Ramos to make Vice President Jejomar Binay — who enjoys very high trust and approval ratings — play a more active role in the international arena. Since we already have a growing number of overseas Filipino workers in China, perhaps VP Binay can engage in a dialogue with his counterpart, Chinese vice president Xi Jinping, who is expected to become the next president of China when Hu Jintao formally steps down next year.

Like it or not, our alliance with the United States is indispensable, and we now more than ever have to remain as close as we can with our long time ally. To many Filipinos, the recent meeting between President Noy and Barack Obama where the US pledged to boost Philippine military defense (which many interpret to mean it will come to our aid in case of a confrontation with China) is a welcome development that signals our ties with the US are stronger than ever. As one Filipino-American navy officer aptly put it, “Hurray! You’re back in Hollywood!”

While some of our ASEAN partners have been silent about the impasse with China, they are undoubtedly concerned and squarely behind us, like Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. In fact, even Canada is weighing in to bat for a military staging post in Singapore to support the military pivot of the US towards Asia. Our local politicians who continue to be very vocally against the US Visiting Forces Agreement and the proposed VFAs between the Philippines and Australia and Singapore for the purpose of interoperability and joint military training should either put up or just keep their peace. Until such time as we have strengthened our military capabilities, we have very little choice but to be dependent on our mutual defense agreements with the US and other countries with whom we share mutual strategic and economic concerns.

For now it may not be apparent, but the time will come when life on this planet will be much harder with the global population estimated to reach nine to 11 billion within the next 10 to 20 years. Many of us will not even be around anymore but by then, food and water will become scarcer especially in Asia where India and China — the two countries that comprise almost 40 percent of the world’s total population — is located. And when these two highly populated countries start competing for water and other critical resources, territorial disputes will undoubtedly continue to be very much a major concern.

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