A Cabinet official was once reported as saying, “beggars can’t be choosers,” apparently in imploring Filipinos to grab the jobs that are available. That official drew criticisms because of that statement.
When President Duterte went on a four-day state visit to China last week, he created a buzz worldwide. It was because while we begged, we also chose.
We begged, and we got $24 billion in investments and funding commitments. Of course, some would say that, with the country’s resources and quality talent pool, we don’t need to go to other countries to beg for capital. Reality, however, tells us that the Philippines is wanting of several other factors that make it conducive to investments. There is the perennial problem of lack of infrastructure. Our power rates are among the highest in Asia, and our policies keep changing every time a new administration comes in. These are just some of the reasons the country has been an investment laggard in the region.
Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said deals signed in private-to-public and private-to-private meetings of the Philippine delegation with their Chinese counterparts include $15 billion worth of investment projects and $9 billion in credit facilities—quite a haul for a “begging mission”.
But we also chose. No matter the corrections and clarifications that came or will come later from his Cabinet secretaries, Mr. Duterte’s pivot toward Beijing and his “time to say good-bye” to the US quote reverberated the world over. It was quite a foreign-policy statement, especially for the leader of a country that has been dependent on US support—economic and security wise—for over a century now.
Surely, ditching Washington in favor of Beijing will have repercussions for the Philippines. Washington’s allies wouldn’t like it, and that probably covers over 90 percent of world governments. As Mr. Duterte said: “Three of us against the world,” referring to the Philippines, China and Russia.
But President Duterte, with his wisdom and vast experience culled from decades in public service, knows what he is doing. He is bringing back the dignity and pride of the Filipino race in the eyes of the international community. Let’s face it, people in other countries look down on Filipinos, seeing the Philippines merely as a producer of domestic helps, caregivers and even prostitutes.
The statements dished out by Mr. Duterte in China pictured the Philippines in a positive light. He made it clear to every government in the world that the Philippines is an independent state that can choose who to ally with. In his next state visits, Mr. Duterte should continue showing the world that the Philippines is no patsy. We, especially our President, should be treated well, as what happened in Beijing. We may be begging for capital and loans, but we are not going to lose our dignity as a nation in the process. As the economy grows, the infrastructure development speeds up and more quality jobs become available domestically, the Philippines is going to stop begging for capital and work abroad soon.
For now—as we tidy up on the domestic front—let’s support the President in showing to the world that our foreign-policy independence will not be compromised.