‘It is important that a country like the Philippines is clear about its values and principles and the alliances it courts.’
NO fail: every time a Filipino leader visits the United States – and vice versa – the speeches will always highlight the “special relations” between the two nations forged by the men and women who fought side by side to secure democracy for the Philippines (and Asia) in World War II.
The images of Americans and Filipinos fighting side by side, dying side by side, and eventually triumphing side by side are always recalled vividly. And not only on the islands we call our home, our participation in such engagements as Vietnam and Korea is further proof that Americans and Filipinos are lockstep in our commitment to the progress of democracy around the world.
That’s the reason, by extension, that America and the Philippines are joined at the hip on the issue of the West Philippine Sea and the effort to uphold international law as well as the freedom of navigation.
We are, we were once described, America’s “brown brothers.” Ours was the democratic experiment that was supposed to prove the transferability of the American ideals in the political as well as the economic sphere; and from 1945 to 1972; and then again from 1986 onwards we have been the Asian example that such ideals can work even in social and economic conditions far different from those existing in the United States.
And so it was the script when BBM was in Washington recently on an official visit, which was capped by a meeting with the US President. And the US president did not forget the script: praising the head of state of a country that was a staunch ally, even telling the waiting press how much of a “tough negotiator” BBM was and all.
Do the special relations still matter?
The world in 2025 is far different from 1945, when World War II came to an end and a new world order was forming with America on top. Such dominance lasted for maybe ten years, because by the mid-1950s the Soviet Union had taken control of half of Europe and was on its way to matching the US in terms of nuclear capability.
But even that is no longer the situation: the Soviet Union is no more, the Middle East is a major flashpoint and China is emerging as a worthy rival, even if only in the area across the Pacific Ocean.
And, of course, even the leadership of America has changed. For the longest time, there was no doubt that whoever was in the White House, certain values were sacrosanct, alliances were clear and America’s role in the world was unquestioned.
The world in 2025 is a far different place. Are the special relations still important?
It is important that a country like the Philippines is clear about its values and principles and the alliances it courts. But it is no longer appropriate, I think, to be perceived as being in the tight embrace of a partner who has had so many others.
It’s time to be more independent, and bury the special relations next to where the Epstein Files are buried!
