A foreign relations scholar warns that the fate of the PH will be worse than losing a finger if the Marcos admin does not change its foreign policy.
A member of the Philippine Navy lost a finger due to alleged harassment by the Chinese Coast Guard during a recent resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal.
The government and the military condemned the incident.
But according to a foreign relations scholar, worse things will happen if the tension between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea continues.
And that is if there will be no changes in President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s foreign policy.
“What will happen will be worse than losing a finger. Actually, it’s already happening, no?”
“If we are going to continue this, we will experience the worst inflation in our lifetime,” according to Sass Rogando Sasot, Foreign Policy Scholar.
Sass Rogando Sasot explained that we should expect the possibility that the Chinese will get angry, which will result in them boycotting Filipino products.
So Sasot ask – if that happens, where will the country find a new market as large as China?
“It will be worse because everyone will go hungry. The stomachs of the Filipino people will be affected, not just a thumb. The thumb is far from the gut. But we will experience something close to it,” Sasot added.
Bank of America has also stated that continued tension between the Philippines and China will cause serious damage to our country’s economy.
U.S. wants to isolate Philippines from ASEAN—ACPSSI
While the Philippines is in conflict with China, its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Malaysia, are processing their papers to join BRICS, and Indonesia is studying it.
BRICS is a group of emerging economies, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
However, the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute insists that the United States does not want the Philippines to join BRICS and aims to isolate us from ASEAN.
“We are blind to it in the Philippines. We are not being informed. That is why there are now up to 90 countries intent on joining BRICS. But tayo ay iniiwanan sa labas. Because the Americans want to control the Philippines, and I would also tell you that the Americans are oppressing our economy,” said Herman Laurel, President, Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute.
Herman Laurel emphasized that the U.S. is only using the Philippines for its geopolitical plans.
He also pointed out at the press conference that the Philippines continues to fall victim to the disinformation campaign of the U.S.
For example, the discrediting of China’s Sinovac vaccine during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, where millions of Filipinos died due to high vaccine hesitancy.
In connection with this, a former U.S. intelligence officer revealed that the U.S. is also using the Philippines against China.
Philippines needs proper leadership—foreign relations scholar
According to Sasot, given the current situation, the Philippines needs a proper statesman.
“Now is the moment that the Philippines need a proper statesman. That would actually provide a good calculation of what’s going on in our country right now in order for the Filipino people to wake up.”
“They need to elevate the Filipino people to the heights of international relations sophistication and stop making fools out of them,” said Sasot.
Sasot cited former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as an example of how he awakened the public to the worsening problem of illegal drugs in the country and how the government addressed it.
