No longer credible

Good ole Uncle Sam’s official suddenly pops up with a vow to support the Philippines — which the United States considers as its long-time ally — in the event of an “armed attack” in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) which Uncle Sam’s latest Secretary of State stressed is contained in the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

“Is it not the US government that has been itching to exert control over the WPS to be the region’s power and all this because China has emerged as the region’s superpower militarily and even economically?

The matter of a review of the decades-old MDT, in the view of the country’s Foreign Affairs chief, Teddy Boy Locsin, is that there is no need for a review of the treaty, but this view is being contradicted by the Philippine Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana and the Palace, both of whom want a treaty review.

There certainly is a need for a review and even changes in the MDT since some of its provisions are fairly vague.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who was in Manila for a visit said Beijing’s military activities in the WPS threaten the country’s sovereignty, security and economic livelihood.

Pompeo bleeds for Philippine sovereignty, security and economic livelihood while trying hard to portray the USA as the country’s white knight, ready to safeguard our sovereignty, ensure the country’s security and even the economic livelihood — and all these can be had, if not guaranteed, by the Philippines-USA defense treaty, or so Pompeo claims.

Philippine senators just don’t buy the word of the US government through Pompeo. Many don’t either, as the US government’s credibility and word these days no longer have credibility, especially with a president called Donald Trump.

The problem with the claimed US respect for a country’s sovereignty, the supposed concern over the country’s security and even that of it safeguarding the economic livelihood can’t really serve as a guarantee, considering the fact that it has earned the reputation of meddling in the internal affairs of the Philippines and other countries, to the extent of getting into regime change when its government — whether the state department or the Central Intelligence Agency — dislikes the government in power, such as the US-assisted coup of a popular president, Joseph Estrada, despite his having been popularly elected by Filipinos.

As for treaties being respected by the US, even this is seriously doubted, as a nuclear treaty with Iran was suddenly dispensed with by Trump. And the US way of making countries suffer if they do not kowtow to Uncle Sam is to keep on imposing sanctions to force them to toe its political line.

It was easy enough for the US to bank on the Philippines, especially under presidents such as Cory Aquino and her son Noynoy Aquino, who clearly showed their obeisance to good old Uncle Sam. There was then no need to bring up the MDT and come up with vows to immediately come to the aid of the Philippines should an attack be launched against the country.

So, what is meant by an “armed attack” which Pompeo warns of? Who decides whether an attack has been made, because any intrusion certainly won’t come from Beijing, which has good and friendly relations with Manila? Is it not the US government that has been itching to exert control over the WPS to be the region’s power and all this because China has emerged as the region’s superpower militarily and even economically? Even to the point of warning the Philippines not to have anything to do with China’s Huawei and injecting the fear factor — with Pompeo saying the country’s security will be compromised due to Huawei’s alleged lack of transparency and the risks that the situation poses to the Philippines.

Pompeo says nothing about the fact that the US has installed a lot of satellites and other listening gadgets and in this country, too, apart from the many spies it has in this country.

Pompeo even broadly hinted that it would be better for the Philippines to shun the Chinese company Huawei and that American companies were the “best partners” when it came to infrastructure, development and digital economy, because they followed the highest standards of transparency and adhered to the rule of law. And is Trump following the rule of law and even the Constitution in the US?

But Pompeo was not deterred and even went to the extent of saying the rule of law that America religiously follows cannot be said for Chinese state-run or state-backed enterprises.”

The US makes the best partners in infrastructure, development and digital economy?

Manila was the most destroyed city due to World War ll. What infrastructure did the country’s “best partner” do by way of development and infrastructures that were needed after the war? Nothing. Instead, the US poured all attention and funds on Japan that was a wartime foe of the Americans.

It also should be stressed that neither did the US do anything even when Malaysia just took Sabah, even when the Brits and the US had no business giving away that which was being rented and not owned.

Huawei is into 5G technology, something that the US does not even have, but does not want others to benefit from the Chinese company with the advanced technology.

There is no reason for the country to drop any country, whether it is the US or China. But the US should not use the Philippines as a pawn for its benefit. Nor should China.