As the world watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine in utter horror, many Filipinos are anxious about the possibility that we may suffer the same fate, with China as the invading superpower that wants to occupy a substantial chunk of our country.
Our country’s presidential candidates have made known their positions on the Russian invasion. Some advocate neutrality, others espouse non-neutrality. There’s a raging debate among supporters on whether the candidates’ positions on the Russian invasion reflect their positions if and when China does the same to our country.
Those advocating neutrality include Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Isko Moreno, Ernesto Abella, and Faisal Mangondato. Marcos Jr. went on to flip-flop by subsequently calling on Russia to respect Ukraine’s freedom, putting him in direct collision with his vice presidential candidate, Sara Duterte, who wants us to be neutral.
In contrast, Leni Robredo, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Leody de Guzman, and Jose Montemayor do not advocate neutrality. The Duterte administration meanwhile has rejected neutrality and it has condemned Russia, joining 141 United Nations countries that overwhelmingly voted to denounce Russia “in the strongest terms.”
Ukraine and the Philippines are similarly troubled with the menace of a bully country. But while the Russian invasion of Ukraine is still ongoing, China is done imposing its dominion over a huge territory where the Philippines has ownership rights, with pockets of exception. That huge area is the 500,000 square kilometers of our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a maritime territory whose marine and mineral resources the Philippines is vested with sovereign rights over. This huge area that China has annexed is bigger than the total landmass of all our islands.
Using military force, China has imposed its virtual possession over our EEZ by building military bases in several atolls and reefs, by using brute force to drive away Filipino fishermen as if they’re bandits, and by constantly harassing Philippine military personnel as if they’re trespassers.
It is wrong, therefore, to view the Chinese menace as a mere threat in the future. An invasion has happened and China is an occupying force.
By advocating neutrality on Russia’s horrible crime, what moral capital will a “neutral” president like Isko Moreno have to ask for help from other countries in dealing with China’s invasion?
Supporters of neutrality hold the view that denouncing Russia will automatically draw our country into the ongoing war. The non-war forms of support that Ukraine has been receiving from the international community debunks this simplistic view. The many forms of punishing economic sanctions imposed by many countries against Russia, the donation of military weapons to Ukraine from sympathetic countries, the expulsion of Russian sports teams from prestigious events, the denial of airspace access to Russian airplanes, the breaking of diplomatic ties, the loss of international goodwill caused by statements of denunciation, are some of the non-war forms of support that our country will lose, under a president who has a narrow-minded view of our country’s relations with the international community.
These non-war forms of support are the benefits our country will gain from a leader like Leni Robredo who will seek a multilateral alliance with other nations in confronting China. Our country will squander these non-war forms of support under a leader like Marcos Jr. who renounces, from the beginning, the help of other countries and who still expresses a preference for “friendly” bilateral talks with China, even if this invading superpower has shown bad faith in 20 years of talks.
Similar to how critically important the Russian invasion is to Ukraine’s interest, China’s annexation of a huge chunk of territory whose vast riches belong to us ranks as one of the issues of highest importance for our country in the coming elections. We must choose as our next president a leader who will harness the rewards of multilateral relations with other peace-loving countries, and not one who will beg for futile mercy from an untrustworthy foreign invader.