The Americans are lucky because they enjoy extreme popularity here in the Philippines. They usually get what they want from our government.
Look at the recently signed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States. The usual critics say the document was rushed in time for US President Barack Obama’s visit last April. And one or two legislators say it’s unconstitutional.
But signed it was, and in time for Obama’s visit.
A new poll was timely. During Obama’s brief visit a survey confirmed what we all know, that Filipinos like the Americans, nearly nine out of every 10 of us do.
No matter that the Americans stole our independence from us when they supplanted the Spaniards here, we still accept them as friends. No matter that they relentlessly pursued and captured our military officers during the Filipino-American War, including Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, to the ends of the archipelago; no matter that they burned the whole of Samar province to the ground during that war; no matter that they’ve treated us shabbily, we still call them friends.
Unequal treatment? Unequal alliance? Unequal friends?
Yes to all that and more. Just think of Lance Corporal Daniel Smith (who raped a Filipina and was later spirited out of jail by the Americans), and you get the picture.
But think about this also: No alliance between a mighty power and a puny one will ever be equal. No friendship between a strong nation and a poor one will ever be equal.
The super or superior power will always have its way. That’s the nature of such alliances. It’s because each nation has interests that don’t necessarily jibe with those of its strategic partners, no matter how much they would want to be close and friendly.
The question then is do we the Philippines want to have strategic allies? Or do we want to be an independent, non-aligned nation?
The second question first. There are no such nations as non-aligned. They may call themselves that but in reality they can’t exist without any strategic allies. Every nation needs allies, it’s that kind of world. No nation can go it alone in this world.
There will always be strategic, economic, ideological and political ties among nations. There will always be selfish motives and intentions among nations. They are the key to survival.
If we accept these as truisms, then the answer to the first question above is obvious. No nation can exist like an island by itself.
The next question then is, who do we want to be our allies?
Among the Filipinos the question is a no-brainer. Why, the Americans, of course.
Nobody else? Is it possible to be friends to all?
Of course it is. We should be friends with our Asian neighbors, and with Australia and New Zealand. And of course China. We should be friends with all nations of the world as much as possible.
Now, some Filipinos have issues with the United States because they see it as a big bully in the global playground. It always wants to have its way and say in all things. And because of that we shouldn’t be friends with it.
That’s one way of looking at things. And if we want to be isolationist and away from a world of bullies and opportunists, then we can do that. But would we survive, much less thrive, by going it alone in the world? And think of the alternatives to the United States as our closest ally. China? Russia? Japan?
Shouldn’t we instead learn how to play the big boys’ game?
It’s a tough world out there, and only the strong survive. We Filipinos are too soft, too sentimental, too giving and too forgiving. Our allies tell us they’re our friends and we readily believe them. We give in too easily. We can’t say no to them.
You can’t play the big boys’ game by being sentimental and generous. Generosity doesn’t have a place in tough negotiations. We can be nice and friendly, but we should be tough. We can’t be nice when the stakes are high, we can’t be nice just because the ones we deal with tell us they’re our friends.
That’s always been our weakness, we ain’t tough enough when we need to be. And that’s what worries the government’s critics, that we give in too much, that we end up giving away a lot in exchange for peanuts and loose change.
If we want to be a respected and feared player in the global arena, we need to be tough.
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