‘With 62 days left in the official campaign period, the Filipino voter has yet another standard by which to measure those presenting themselves to be the next president of the Philippines.’
I HAVE been riveted to the news since Vladimir Putin’s unprecedented attack on Ukraine began. I hesitate to use the word “Russian” to describe the origin of the aggression, as I do not want to attribute the attack as the will of the Russian people. It is unfortunate that Putin’s ascent to power has led to this inhumane action, cloaked by his propaganda as a liberation effort.
As an outsider, I can only express my frustration at the helplessness one feels when seeing the suffering of the Ukrainian people, as well as the devastating effect of the war on ordinary Russians. There are many ways to help in our capacities as individual persons, but one cannot help the anger bubbling over at the needless suffering and loss of life caused by one man’s folly.
The attack on Ukraine is a good test of the foreign policy inclinations of our presidential candidates. While the Presidency involves the execution of laws, crafting and implementation of programs apart from running the entire Executive branch of government, it also involves dealing with our neighbors and the community of nations.
Given that an estimated 10 million Filipinos are living and working abroad, this means that anything that happens beyond our shores have a potential impact to our fellows as well as to those of us at home.
Case in point: While the number of Filipinos living in Ukraine is relatively lower than, let’s say the Middle East or Italy, government still has to do its duty of making sure that they are safely evacuated, if they wish. (On this note, Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin and the Department of Foreign Affairs deserve recognition for their quick action in this regard. The same goes for our diplomats at the United Nations led by Ambassador Enrique Manalo for the ‘Yes’ vote on the resolution on aggression against Ukraine at the 11th UN Emergency Special Session.)
We simply cannot have a President who thinks that the Philippines is detached from what goes on in the rest of the world, simply because of geography. Such insular thinking can have devastating consequences when made as the foundation of foreign policy and can serve to isolate the country from the international community. A simplistic way of analysis is also quite dangerous when it comes to policy and action; more often, the Presidency is confronted with issues that are complex and multi-faceted, which require a deft understanding from the Chief Executive. A President cannot, and must not, reduce issues to a twisted understanding of “Filipino First.”
This is where candidates who have held national positions have an edge over those with local experience. Governors and mayors have little experience with foreign policy and tend to lead with their mouths when it comes to these issues. Implementation of laws is but a part of a President’s job, and we have seen in the past how local chief executives struggle with foreign policy when they are thrust into the highest office in the land.
Take for example candidate X who mouthed off a pseudo-peacenik response to the Ukraine conflict by essentially saying the Philippines should not join other countries in condemning Putin’s aggression, since well, that’s happening all the way in Europe anyway. What candidate X conveniently forgot (or in all likelihood, was unaware of) that conflict in certain areas has an impact on crude oil prices. The Filipino jeepney driver is certainly thousands of miles away from the cluster bombs going off in Kjiv, but we know that he is now feeling the impact on his wallet, seeing that diesel and gas prices have been going up by the peso since the aggression erupted.
If you fail to understand, then you certainly will fail to anticipate the consequences of these events on your people. What kind of president will a candidate like this be, then? With 62 days left in the official campaign period, the Filipino voter has yet another standard by which to measure those presenting themselves to be the next president of the Philippines. I hope we all use those remaining days wisely.
