Statesman

In just over two months since he assumed the presidency, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. clambered up the global stage to deliver a speech before the UN General Assembly. More than his immediate predecessor, he understands the value of high profile diplomacy to help get his work done at home.

Famously inarticulate, former president Rodrigo Duterte avoided personal engagement in diplomacy as much as possible. He was uncomfortable dressing up for summit meetings, even more uncomfortable delivering speeches before a foreign audience.

Duterte’s grasp of international affairs was tenuous at best. He held on to a quaint, Cold War-vintage notion of global politics. He imagined that achieving closer relations with China meant downgrading our historic partnership with the US.

As a consequence of the former president’s own disposition, our foreign policy leaned more closely towards China and tilted away from the US. The European Union did not figure in the spectrum of our foreign policy concerns. Much less did the non-aligned countries of the developing world figure in that narrowed spectrum.

Duterte was incorrigibly parochial. At the center of his universe was Davao City. He once announced, evidently without the guidance of our professional diplomatic corps, that the Philippines was part of the Moscow-Beijing axis. That announcement was fortunately dismissed in the democratic capitals of the world as merely another instance of Duterte’s interminable rant, intended mainly for shock effect.

Duterte’s pro-Beijing fixation was apparently driven by his naive belief that if we professed allegiance to the Asian superpower, investments will flood in from China. That did not happen. The negotiations for soft loans to support infra modernization fell through. Our simpleton foreign policy calculations did not produce rewards.

By contrast, Marcos Jr. apparently relishes the challenge and complexity of international relations. Having studied abroad for many years and having closely observed his own father at work as the nation’s chief diplomat, he understood the continuum between international and domestic affairs.

Recall Marcos Sr. maintained a high international profile. He designated himself spokesman of the non-aligned movement of newly independent nations. He was at ease meeting with world leaders. He kept himself well informed about international affairs.

Shortly after the EDSA uprising, I led a team composed mostly of graduate students assigned to take control of the President’s Center for Special Studies (PCSS). This was a small unit vital to the presidency of Marcos Sr. It was responsible for producing the books published in his name, preparing his speeches and providing him daily with analyses of foreign affairs. Immediately, we continued the unit’s work, providing president Corazon Aquino with briefing folders prepared through the night and ready for her eyes early in the morning. Aquino did not appreciate the work done by this unit and soon ordered it abolished.

One of the fringe benefits of being at the PCSS, albeit briefly, was the chance to go though its updated library. There I found the latest books on global affairs, some of them with Marcos Sr.’s marginal notes. One had to have grudging respect for this man. Not only did he read the books closely and reflected on the ideas they contained, he also made sure the books were returned to the library.

Marcos Sr. had an adept mind and was constantly curious about the world he lived in. The son must have inherited some of that curiosity. More important, the son must have inherited the confidence in thinking through the national interest as the work swirled and as changes happen. Marcos Sr. was supremely confident in dealing with other world leaders as equals because he kept himself abreast with all important developments.

Recall how Marcos Sr. adeptly negotiated with the US not only to shorten the lease on their military bases but also to pay some form of rent for their use. That ultimately set the stage for the expulsion of US military presence in the archipelago in 1991.

Marcos Sr. likewise negotiated with the Islamic conference to prevent the secessionist movement from further progressing on the strength in international support. He even sent then first lady Imelda Marcos to Libya. The Libyan dictator at that time supported the secessionists with arms.

Marcos Sr. was among the leading voices of the Non-Aligned Movement of newly independent nations. That movement helped reset the terms of international politics through the collective action of the newly independent nations.

The Philippines, during the time of Marcos Sr., played a lead role in the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This regional community was instrumental in shaping the rapid development of its member-states. It continues to be a viable regional organization, setting the stage for the evolution of a common market.

More than any other leader since his father, Marcos Jr. seems to be inclined to play a high profile role in international affairs. He has the confidence and the articulateness to play such a role. He will not shirk in the face of the challenges.

Many factors are shaping global politics these days: the invasion of Ukraine, the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the perils posed by global warming, the impending water and food crises we see on the horizon, to name a few of them.

A strong and clear Filipino voice on global affairs will be appreciated in these perilous times. We are the canary in the mine for global warming. We are an emerging economy that seeks better terms for trade and investment.

Marcos Jr. leads a nation seeking its just place in the world.