This is all the fault of the Philippines president. He dosent want to be friends with the US government, "Cant really blame him much on that one" Yet we are the only ones that can stand up to China and sink their little fishing boats with machine guns hidden under tarps on their front decks. One day he is buddy buddy with China and the next day he is threatening to sink their boats. He needs to stop drinking and pick either a Communist take over or join with the US and NATO should he want the best protection on the face of the earth.
The U.S. had been taking advantage of the Philippines since 1946, as seen in the Bell Trade Act, support for the dictator Marcos in exchange for retaining the bases, and support for Aquino for the same reason. It also promoted structural adjustment policies, which means economic policies which led to de-industrialization from 1986 to the present.
Control of the West Philippine Sea started in 1988, when China went to war over Vietnam over part of it, and China won and took over. The U.S. did nothing about it. When China engaged in incursions in the Kalayaan Reef area in 1995 and 1996, the Philippines complained, and the U.S. did nothing again.
In 2012, a standoff ensued between China and the Philippines, and the Philippines backed off based on advice from the U.S. which stated that it had brokered a deal with China. It turned out that there was no deal, and China took control of the reef. The weird thing is that the order to withdraw was made by one Philippine official with no knowledge from the Philippine President, Aquino. After that, the country decided to sue, once more based on advice from the U.S. which turned out not to have been made.
The result of arbitration is that no claims to the WPS are valid as no maritime boundaries or land territories are involved, which means claimants have to negotiate with each other. It also turned out that China's claim to the West Philippine Sea was based on a claim made by Taiwan decades earlier, which explains why not just China but Taiwan rejected the arbitration result. To add to what was already an ironic situation, Taiwan is supposed to be an "ally" of the U.S. because it's a heavy arms buyer, but the U.S. dies not even recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, and that none of them could act decisively because China is a major trading partner of not only Taiwan but even of the U.S. and the Philippines.
And to add to that, it turns out that there's not one but five claimants to parts of the West Philippine Sea: China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei. And the one with the most installations in the area is Vietnam.
The U.S. is the only one that can stand up to China but has never done so for more than thirty years because China is a major trading partner. During the same time, the U.S. not only failed to help its ally the Philippines but even abused it. Meanwhile, it provided arms to Taiwan, which it does not even recognize as a sovereign state. And it turns out that all of those ASEAN members which are supposed to be friends of the Philippines are claiming parts of the West Philippine Sea.
These are the reasons why Duterte got angry at the U.S. (specifically, Obama) and has been negotiating with China. What's even more ironic is that before he did so the previous President, Aquino, sent a non-diplomat who did not even speak Mandarin, Sen. Trillanes, to engage in over 15 backdoor negotiations with China while Aquino's foreign secretary criticized Trillanes for making matters worse. In short, Philippine politicians who that time were kowtowing to Obama were fighting with each other and operating based on confusing non-advice from the U.S.
And what happened after that? China remains in control of parts of the WPS together with Malaysia and Vietnam, and companies from NATO members started engaging in arms deals with Duterte, together with Russia and even India.
THE PHILIPPINES would keep working with the European Union (EU) on issues including free trade and investment, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said on Wednesday as he got a visit from the bloc’s ambassador-designate.
www.bworldonline.com
French navy to help PH form submarine force
www.manilatimes.net
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has inked contracts for Israeli-made guns and defense equipment worth nearly P1.5 billion. The deals, according to the PNP, were for security equipment which
globalnation.inquirer.net
Philippines is getting closer to Gripen deal
www.blogbeforeflight.net
Russia proposes manufacturing light arms and small weapons in the Southeast Asian nation using Russian know-how after meeting between presidents Duterte and Putin this month.
www.scmp.com
The Philippines will be the first country to receive BrahMos missiles jointly developed by India and Russia. Earlier, New Delhi had extended a $100 million defence-related line of credit to Manila. The Philippines, a key US ally for decades, has been keen to diversify sources for defence...
economictimes.indiatimes.com
And now even Biden wants to meet with Duterte:
MANILA, Philippines — U.S. President Joe Biden has written to Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte to assure him of the two nations’ sustained strong relationship and expressed hope
globalnation.inquirer.net
No wonder Duterte has some of the highest approval ratings not only among Philippine Presidents but even compared to other national leaders.
MANILA - In recent months, the Philippines has been at the regional epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, with over 3,000 new infections per day and a
asiatimes.com
Apparently, the NY Times, of all papers, got it right around five years ago:
The Philippine president’s strategy of balancing between the powers by threatening to change loyalties was used successfully by leaders throughout the era.
www.nytimes.com
And it has now reached a point that Duterte's daughter, Sara, and the former dictator Marcos' son, Ferdinand, have now become the top Presidential and VP bets for the next elections.
Sara Duterte, Bongbong Marcos top 2022 presidential bets--Pulse Asia
www.manilatimes.net