Dear Editor,

President Bongbong Marcos recently issued a call-to-arms to the AFP. "We must be ready.' he said, "Our AFP must be capable of securing and defending the archipelago from emerging threats."

 This was right on the heels of President Biden's chilling "The US commitment to the Philippines is ironclad"— in reference to the Ayungin Shoal incident where, amazingly enough, mainstream media was around to capture and give their particular spin meant to agitate the Filipino people.

 This lends credence to claims made by international relations experts that this is part of a deliberate policy by the Philippine government — as dictated upon by Washington — to spotlight China's "brute force" in asserting control over what the Philippines claims is theirs.

John Steinbeck's assertion that "All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal" rings true because there exists a middle way – more peaceful, prudent and pragmatic: Through diplomatic channels.

But unfortunately, this does not sit well with Uncle Sam's agenda.

The US Military Industrial Complex — together with its accomplices in media and government — would have us believe in the inevitability of war.

They beat us down with narratives and images beamed by mainstream media that manipulate us to full patriotic rage that wring out every bit of hope we may have left for peace.

 But I say war is not inevitable. Peace is.

 While the worst of humanity hurtles us toward the total destruction of our beloved Philippines, there stands before them humans who are saying, "You will not pass." 

 We have not forgotten the shameless legacy of America's aggressive wars — unprovoked wars not fought in self-defense — that create carnage, millions of refugees, and irreversible destruction of countries.

 We will not be the next Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan or Ukraine. We will not bequeath to our children a country that is more graveyard than country. The dead bodies of our children will not wash to shore.

 Our people will not be refugees thrown into the open sea searching for home.

 We are home now, and this is where we will live out our days in peace.

The Philippines is for Filipinos, and we are not vassals nor slaves of anyone. 

We will instead speak Peace. And we will fight for it. 

Together, with the rest of humanity, we say war is not inevitable. 

But Peace is.

Lorraine Marie T. Badoy, MD

lorrainebadoy@gmail.com