An activist holds up a sign and shouts slogans during a protest against the Balikatan joint military exercises between the Philippines and the US outside the US Embassy in Manila on May 6, 2024. Photo: VCG

Editor's Note:

When Manila hypes up so-called Chinese aggression, the Philippine people hold a different view. "China, like most of us Asian nations, are peaceful people. China did not invade us. China did not kill our ancestors. China did not impose their culture on us. China did not force us to speak their language. China did not meddle in our internal politics. But the United States did," wrote Jun Abines (Abines) , a Philippine political commentator. Why does he believe this? What experience could the two countries draw from previous friendly periods? Abines shared his views with Global Times (GT) reporter Li Aixin.

GT: Why do you believe China is peaceful?

Abines: More than 10 years ago, I was anti-China because of what I heard from TV, newspapers, and radio. The Philippines had a strong anti-China campaign for three decades. However, in 2014, while running a construction business, I met a client from the Chinese mainland named Mr. Qin. He noticed my criticism of China during discussions about China-Philippines relations amid tension in the South China Sea under President Benigno Aquino III. Mr. Qin invited me to visit China, specifically Guangzhou. That tour changed my perspective. From the moment we landed in Hong Kong and drove four hours to Guangzhou, I saw a China that was very different from what the media portrayed. During my 12-day stay in Guangzhou, I observed it was like Europe: safe, modern, and highly progressive.

I started researching more, and that's how my perspective changed on China. The more I dug into it, the more I realized that China, like the Philippines, has been invaded and bullied. China has actually helped fellow Asian countries that were invaded by the US. 

In the last 500 years of history, most of the worst conflicts in the world have not involved China; it's mostly been Western countries. So, I am 100 percent convinced that China is a peaceful country. The narrative in the Philippines that China will invade us is a joke, because history itself will tell that Chinese people are peaceful. They love business and trade.

GT: You also mentioned, "The West and the US already invaded us."

Abines: In 1898, the US came to the Philippines with deception. They said they would assist us in fighting the Spanish, and the Filipino rebellion against the Spanish government welcomed US troops. It was later revealed that Spain had already sold the Philippines to the US for $20 million, deceiving us during their first invasion.

Now, American troops are back, claiming they will enter our country again to help us fight China and be our friends in humanitarian and disaster response. However, look at what happened in Metro Manila recently - the flooding. No American forces were seen in the area offering aid. The rhetoric - the US trying to help - was a lie. We were deceived again. 

The US claims it needs nine bases throughout the Philippines. What is their purpose, and why are these bases located in cities full of civilians?

Before the US' return to the Philippines, the world already knew that the US' objective in Southeast Asia is to contain China. This is common knowledge. I think more than 50 percent of Filipinos know this, but most media outlets are silent now, and people like me are being silenced. Many of us face bans or deletions on social media. Our articles are hard to circulate because they want to prevent the truth from coming out.

People like me who are raising our voices are not doing this for anyone else but ourselves. Many Filipinos understand that inviting US forces to the Philippines will only bring trouble and chaos. 

GT: In Cebu City, where you live, there is the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base, which is one of the bases the Philippines is offering the US access to. How do local people feel about the US military presence?

Abines: There's already a movement. Months ago, I saw a rally here advocating against a proxy war. There's a group saying that they oppose war. When interviewed by local media, they said, "We don't want to be the next Ukraine."

Another local group - No to Proxy War - conveyed that we Filipinos understand the US' objective is to contain China, and we don't want to be used as a proxy. We see the dangers ahead on that path. We want US forces to leave the Philippines and let us manage our own country, so we can progress economically. For too long, the Philippines has been poor due to bullying and economic policies dictated by Western countries, especially the US.

GT: After China and the Philippines recently reached a temporary arrangement on managing the situation of Ren'ai Jiao, the Philippine administration quickly reversed its position. How do you interpret Manila's flip-flopping on this hard-won consensus?

Abines: It has been this pattern over the past 12 months. Our current administration lacks a clear stance on peace. We notice this double talk on our side. President Marcos is saying two conflicting things at the same time. He said he wants peace, but his actions don't support it. 

Additionally, there are too many spokespersons on the Philippine side. Unfortunately, many will accuse me of being a traitor for saying this - I believe the truth is that the Marcos administration is very incompetent and is primarily serving US interests. If they truly prioritized the Filipino people's interests, they would wholeheartedly go for peace and diplomacy.

It seems that the Marcos administration is aiming to please a master. While their master is supposed to be the Filipino people, they appear to be serving the US instead. Their actions align with what the US dictates. That's why we are very restless in the Philippines because we've seen so much incompetence and abandonment of Filipino welfare. 

The Filipinos desire independence for the Philippines from the US. We seek progress, and the path to progress lies in fostering friendship with China, other ASEAN nations, and the US, but not in being a puppet of the US. If we continue to follow Marcos' actions, progress will elude the Philippines. 

GT: What are the positive aspects for the Philippines in having better ties with China? And what experiences could the two countries draw from previous friendly periods?

Abines: During his six years in office, former president Rodrigo Duterte adopted a neutral foreign policy and fostered friendly relations with China, which proved to be the best thing that happened to us economically. From 2016 to 2020, we witnessed significant economic growth and progress in our country.

This serves as a prime example of the benefits of an independent foreign policy and maintaining an open mind toward a pro-Asia perspective. This approach is crucial for ASEAN countries, especially the Philippines, to promoting regional peace. 

The lesson we can learn from the past period is to set aside differences. The South China Sea is disputed by at least five Asian countries. We should focus on prioritizing what both sides truly need: trade, progress, peace, and order. China, now an economic superpower with advanced technology, presents significant benefits for the Philippines. For a long time, the Philippines was deprived of technology and investment from Western countries, whom we call friends. 

There's a lot of hypocrisy in our friendship with the West, as we often hear and read in the news that they claim to be our friends.

But whenever we try to improve our economy, they oppose us. They dictate what we can or cannot do, hindering our progress. For instance, we need nuclear power plants, but they oppose it. We also need to resolve our insurgency problem, but the US doesn't want that to happen. This illustrates the irony of our Western friends. When we apply for visas to the US, about 90 percent of applications are denied. They view Filipinos as mere sources of cheap labor and we cannot enter the US and Europe without showing a lot of money. They think most Filipinos are bad guys. We are not welcome in their country. This is the worst friendship.

The more I dig about our relationship with the West and the more I try to understand our relationship with China, the more I see hypocrisy from the West and sincerity from China. 

Most Filipinos truly want peace in the South China Sea and throughout Southeast Asia. During the previous administration, we were very happy. Our economy was growing, and numerous infrastructure projects were underway. We had a strong relationship with China, and the Chinese government funded many projects in the Philippines. However, over the past two years, this progress has halted. 

We're frustrated that our mainstream media outlets only focus on negative news involving China, when we could benefit greatly from fostering friendship with, understanding, and embracing China as well as other Asian countries as brothers. That should be our case. But right now, we are disappointed by the fact that we have an administration in the Philippines that is a US puppet, which disgusts me personally. I think many Filipinos share my sentiment.