Bragging rights

More often than not, foreign trips made by the president of the Philippines, especially to the United States and other countries in the global North, have been done with hat in hand. (Of course, President Corazon Aquino’s visit to the United States in the heady aftermath of the 1986 Edsa Revolution, when she could have been granted anything including condonation of bad debts had she asked for it, was in a class all its own.) The image, immortalized in biting editorial cartoons, has somewhat stuck: the Philippine president visiting Washington and holding out a salakot as though seeking alms from a larger-than-life white man dressed in a three-piece suit and smoking a cigar (the stereotypical caricature of the American colonial master).

President Aquino’s visit to the United States this week on the invitation of US President Barack Obama will hopefully leave a different imprint on the collective mind of observers. Coming off a string of rousing successes on the domestic front, Mr. Aquino is not expected to be wholly on mendicant mode although he will be seeking security guarantees from America in the face of China’s renewed belligerence in the West Philippine Sea.

There is, for one, the completion of the impeachment trial of Renato Corona and his removal from office as chief justice—the first time such a democratic exercise was brought to a peaceful conclusion in this country. The importance of this achievement cannot be overstated considering that the United States has in recent years tied the amount of assistance it will extend to the Philippines to its ability to improve governance standards.

For another, Mr. Aquino gained unexpected bragging rights last week after data emerged showing that the Philippines grew by 6.4 percent in the first quarter of the year, making the country—believe it or not—the fastest growing economy in the Asean region. (The growth figure—a result of increased government spending, higher remittances from overseas Filipino workers, a spike in tourism, among others—was well above the market’s consensus forecast of 4.8 percent, according to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.) The Philippines’ bright economic outlook contrasts sharply with recent developments in the United States, where the unemployment rate remains stubbornly high despite the best efforts of the Obama administration to revitalize the world’s largest economy.

Yes, Mr. Aquino will be going to the United States in search of financial aid. But he will also be boasting of his country’s gains in its fight against corruption and in its promising economy—factors that will draw in American investors without necessarily being prodded by the White House. It would also not be surprising if the US government commits to adopt a more flexible stance with regard to the Category 2 status of the local aviation sector (with the flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, having promised to buy more Boeing jets, thus extending a benefit to the troubled US economy).

The issue of the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea is expected to dominate discussions between the Philippine and American Presidents given China’s growing assertiveness on the regional and world stages. But even in that aspect, the Philippine government does not have to beg for America’s help. It should focus on its shared interests with the United States in blunting China’s aggressive moves in the region.

Certain quarters may say that the Philippines needs the US Navy to wave the Stars and Stripes around the neighborhood to give the Chinese Navy (with its growing “blue water” capability) a moment’s pause before running roughshod over our two half-century-old Hamilton cutters. But America needs the Philippines even more for its favorable geographic location. If the US Navy wants to keep the People’s Liberation Army Navy from breaking out into its Pacific Ocean backyard—as suggested by America’s decision to boost its presence in the region, although it is careful to say that the move has nothing to do with China—this could be more effectively achieved with ships sailing around the Philippines than Singapore.

So, a few days ahead of President Aquino’s visit to the United States, there is already favorable news to report: More than at any other time in history, the Philippine president will have some bragging rights when setting foot on US soil and meeting with his American counterpart.

Make it count.