PRESIDENT Bongbong Marcos will fly to America in the coming days for the US-Japan-Philippines Trilateral Summit.
There, he will engage with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Among the topics that the 3 leaders will discuss is the maritime cooperation among the three countries, including tension in the West Philippine Sea against China.
However, for a former Philippine Diplomat, he hopes that history will not repeat itself in which thousands of Filipinos sacrificed their lives at the hands of the Japanese and Americans during World War II.
“The parties here are Japan and America once again. You know, during World War II, one million Filipinos died… It’s not just about breaking down why they died. Were they all killed by the Japanese? No! Most of the Filipinos who died during World War II died because of the liberation by the Americans,” according to Ado Paglinawan former Philippine Diplomat.
Paglinawan hopes that the spirit of Valor Day, commemorated every April 9 annually in recognition of the heroism of Filipino soldiers in the 1942 Bataan Death March, will endure.
And that the current government should tread cautiously in engaging with the US and Japan amid tensions over disputed territory.
“You know, the Spaniards were here in the Philippines for 377 years. But I don’t think the number of people they killed reached 100,000. But these two countries that colonized us, most of them killed Filipinos. Now they’re our buddies,” he said.
Paglinawan hopes that Filipinos will no longer sacrifice their lives for Japan and the US.
That the bravery of Filipinos will be rightly acknowledged.
Especially since, as Paglinawan knows, we will never win against China in the war over disputed territory.
“When I say bravery, it’s the right kind of bravery. The right kind of courage, not when you claim to be brave but you’re seeking allies among the principles you stand for or allies and you say you’re calling on foreign powers to uphold the sovereignty of the Philippines,” he added.
