‘We’re victims of our own success’

With so many Filipino nurses and health care workers now working abroad, “we have become victims of our own success,” said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his meeting in Malacañang with American businessmen belonging to the Business Executives for National Security (BENS), who were in Manila to explore areas of cooperation and investment particularly in health care, digital infrastructure and energy.

Filipino health care workers are very much in demand, especially in highly developed countries not only because of their reliability and professionalism but also due to the Filipino kindness and compassion in practicing their profession. In fact, their work is so much appreciated that world leaders are asking for more Filipino nurses, doctors and medical practitioners to be deployed in their countries, especially after the pandemic experience.

Founded in 1982, BENS is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that brings together top business executives and national security leaders who believe that private-sector expertise as well as best practices and cutting-edge ideas can help the United States in facing complex national security challenges. During the meeting, the President shared the government’s efforts to make the Philippines an attractive investment destination and transform the economy, while the members of BENS thanked the President for his leadership in restoring the “special and important alliance” between the United States and the Philippines.

The stronger defense ties between the two nations have spurred more interest from American companies to invest in the Philippines, which they see as a place they can trust with their business operations and expansion plans.

We have been receiving a deluge of invitations from state entities and companies from all over the United States for President Marcos to come and visit. One can say that the President himself is a “victim of his own success.” Because of his successful visits abroad, he has been receiving a lot of invitations from all over the world because of so much interest in the Philippines as an investment destination from potential investors, not only from the US but other nations as well.

The country’s economic managers have been working very hard to create a more business-friendly environment through economic liberalization measures that include amendments to the Retail Trade Liberalization Act that simplified requirements for foreign retailers. A recent welcome development is Executive Order No. 18 that seeks to reduce barriers to doing business in the Philippines by expediting, streamlining and automating government approval and registration processes for priority or strategic investments. A One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments will be created, which would serve as a single-point entry for all projects that would qualify as strategic investments.

According to the President, having reforms that will not only attract more investments into the country but will also create an environment conducive to business growth is “long overdue,” describing EO 18 as “a huge leap forward, ushering in a new era of efficiency and collaboration within and without.”

Aside from state and official visits, the President’s participation in important meetings such as the UN General Assembly and the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia has also generated expectations for the Philippines to take the lead in upholding a rules-based international order in the region. This is one more example where we have become “a victim of our own success” – especially in light of the Philippines’ victory before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that handed down a ruling in 2016 that invalidated the wide-ranging claims of China in the South China Sea.

The 2016 arbitral award has taken a life of its own, so to speak, because even our neighbors with overlapping claims in the South China Sea are using the ruling as basis for their complaints and submissions before the United Nations to reject the claims of China.

We are also seeing a deluge of support from other countries in our bid to modernize our armed forces, which is part of our defense strategy. As I mentioned during an interview with Bloomberg, we have other like-minded nations such as Japan, Australia and even Italy as well as other European countries that are coming into the picture right now, expressing their recognition for the arbitral award and saying they would like to help in one way or another because they want to see peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Even India has changed its position regarding the arbitral award, saying it must be adhered to.

While this clearly shows that we are not depending entirely on the United States, it goes without saying that our alliance is helping sustain the momentum as far as our defense strategy is concerned. It must also be important to note that a large majority of Filipinos – 84 percent in fact – are supportive of our alliance with the United States and want the government to continue strengthening its security ties with our only defense treaty ally to help us in addressing issues involving the West Philippine Sea.

Not surprisingly, political leaders who have been outspoken regarding incidents of aggression in the West Philippine Sea, like Senators Risa Hontiveros and JV Ejercito, are seeing their popularity grow because their statements resonate with many Filipinos who believe that alliances with the US and like-minded nations are important to gather support in defending our sovereignty.

In retrospect, being a “victim of our own success” can in a way be a good problem because it puts the Philippines in the center of attention – opening up a lot of economic opportunities and underscoring the significant role we can play in maintaining peace and stability not only in the region but ultimately, the rest of the world.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]