The Philippine President navigates the country’s middle power on the international stage. More in this in-depth piece by Bea Cupin:
Then-US president Ronald Reagan said in his toast that “a strong defense alliance is a major factor in contributing to the security of the Philippines and to the maintenance of peace and security in Asia.” He was referring to the review of an agreement to allow the US use of Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base, then the largest US installations overseas. TheReagan’s closeness to the Philippine dictator was criticized by certain personalities in US politics, including then-senator Joe Biden.
During that 1982 state dinner, “there was dancing in the grand foyer of the White House…and chanting on the sidewalk outside, each out of step with the other,” reported the, referring to protests against the elder Marcos and then-first lady Imelda Marcos. Then-president Cory Aquino, in her first official working visit to Washington in September 1986, called on the US to join the Philippines as it “[builds] a new home for democracy, another haven for the oppressed, so [the Philippines] may stand as a shining testament of our two nations’ commitment to freedom.”So there is, perhaps, a tinge of irony that Marcos Jr. now follows the path carved and fortified by the late president Benigno Aquino III, the only son of Cory.
“Now we bring with us the fact that we cultivated our strategic security partnership with the middle powers – from Aquino, pursued by Duterte, and pursued vigorously by Marcos. And it also works both ways,” she added. “The US is not interested in new bases. It’s about presence and access,” he explained.
Even as China’s harassment in the West Philippine Sea happens daily, the economic giant remains the Philippines’ top trading partner – as of March 2023, 22.4% of imports are from China, while 21.8% of exports go to China. These are pledges on top of the defense commitments from the Pentagon – covering defense modernization, “real-time information sharing,” and “cyber defense and cyber security cooperation,” among others. unlawful activities
“Beijing is going to have to come to terms with this recalibration in Malacanang’s policy…. Beijing is going to have to figure things out and get a little more comfortable with how things pan out. And obviously it’s not, which is why it’s acting the way it is,” said Noor.There’s another character in the regional play: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations , a bloc of 10 .
That ASEAN members’ stake in the South China Sea also differ – between maritime countries and those with only land borders, for instance – make it difficult to find consensus, said both Noor and Salvador.
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