Philippines at the Hands of Chinese Imperialism

■ Lou Marie Cuarto

The persistent and aggressive howling in Malacañang seems to never come to an end whenever the Filipino citizenry expresses even a hint of dissent. However, the same Malacañang’s pugnacious top dogs are quick to wag their tails when the Sino leader arrives. There are a lot of canines with peculiar characteristics, but what differentiates the Philippine’s top breed is his ability to be loyal to the wrong master.

He does not like dental chew toys or mud but prefers to play with real human bones and blood. He does not have four feet or fluffy fur; he only has two hands — one, intended for a corny fist bump whenever there is a photo op, and the other, expert in carrying guns and silencing critics. Now, who’s the good boy?

The year is 2021 and the country still has to cower under the Chinese government with its socialist façades behind real imperialist motives. We all wonder and long for the day when all these gestures will end, but as long as a lapdog is in the high seat, we will have to bear this heavy collar of imperialism hanging on our necks.

Treats for the Good Boy!

The long overdue sea dispute in the West Philippine Sea is still being wrestled with despite the Philippines’ ownership claims being backed up by The Hague ruling in 2016. Years after securing the triumphant legal victory, China’s unshakable noncompliance and unmistakable bullying towards the Philippines are still as clear as day, but the Philippine government happily shuts its eyes and widely opens its doors, welcoming more of these Chinese imperialist schemes.

In 2019, the Philippines quaked over the news of a Filipino boat, Gem-Ver, being rammed by a Chinese fishing vessel, Yuemaobinyu 42212, while the Filipino fisherfolks were peacefully doing their decade-long routine of fishing in the West Philippine Sea. The incident sparked Filipinos’ dissent and outrage and called for a strong stand for China to honor the ruling and compensate the Filipino victims.

However, the other party seems to be purposely ignoring the diplomatic protests. Moreover, the Duterte administration did no good in handling the case by downplaying the grave intimidation committed by China, claiming that it was just another “ordinary maritime traffic incident”. As if gaslighting the boat sinking incident was not enough, Duterte also approved the Philippines-China joint investigation which gained a lot of criticisms; one of which was Senator Francis Pangilinan’s outcry: “Kung na-hit and run ang kamag-anak natin, hindi ba’t magiging katawa-tawa kung kasama sa mag-iimbestiga ang kakampi ng mga mismong nakabangga?”

Instead of taking action to protect the Filipino people and reprimanding the one at fault, which, in this case, the Chinese government, Duterte took his time to proclaim their friendship with China, and without a whimper, still allowed them to fish within our Exclusive Economic Zone despite everything that has happened “because we are friends.”

According to the Social Weathers Station (SWS) survey released last 14 July 2020, the results showed that 70% of the Filipino respondents strongly support the statement, “The Philippine Government should assert its rights over the islands in the West Philippine Sea as stipulated in the 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.” Furthermore, the results also highlighted that 82% of Filipinos advocate for the Philippines to form alliances with other democratic countries with the same objective of pressuring China to comply with international laws and defend our territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea.

Yet, despite all these and the arbitral award we have on hand, the main problem is how the Duterte administration kept on shelving the ruling and not exercising these rights to the full extent possible. What could be the reason behind the Philippines’ strongman suddenly becoming a cowardly little puppy under China’s power play? Simple loans and grants from Beijing.

It is like China offers a small piece of a treat, and Duterte gladly and thoughtlessly bites it, foolishly believing that doing so would be like winning the lottery; his action being parallel to the reaction of a simple-minded and obedient canine.

Duterte is firm on selling out the massive Philippine resources in exchange for us being caught in China’s debt trap policy, calling the obvious manipulation some sort of “allegiance”. The funds that were loaned by China are being used for unfeasible infrastructure projects, such as Build, Build, Build which aims to help our economy bounce back. However, in an analysis conducted by Rappler in 2020, “only 34% of the Duterte administration’s flagship infrastructure projects are being implemented, so far”, which is far less promising than what the administration has been boasting about. Furthermore, the administration is only good at revising their plans; they keep on “moving the goalposts” which makes it harder to keep track of the developments, and we are unsure if they have any.

With the country having fallen into China’s debt trap which will extend until his successor’s reign, Duterte’s so-called legacyBuild, Build, Build, becomes more like Debt, Debt, Debt.

China’s debt trap policy is a real thing and we can observe what happened with Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Mongolia, and other developing countries that also fell into China’s ruse. The Philippines, being an important instrument in achieving China’s geo-political design, the One Belt, One Road policy, and economic aims to threaten the United States, Duterte openly expressed the country’s submission to China’s leader, making it easier for China to take a closer step towards their greedy aspirations.

China’s Best Friend

Ever wonder how things would be now if only Duterte had issued an earlier travel ban for Chinese travelers during the early months of the reported outbreak outside the country? So many lives could have been saved, the economy could not have taken a fatal blow, businesses could not have suffered to the extent of having to shut down, employees could have salvaged their jobs, and youths could not have been robbed of great life opportunities and once-in-alifetime experiences, and the list goes on and on.

The first case of Coronavirus in the Philippines was reported last 20 January 2020, by a 38-year-old Chinese national. However, Duterte only declared a temporary travel ban for all visitors from Hubei province on 31 January. It would have taken longer if the Filipinos had pressured the government to do so because, as Duterte said days before he imposed the travel ban, it will not be easy since they “continue to respect the freedom flights that we enjoy” — another manifestation of Duterte’s loyalty, neither to the country nor to the Filipinos, but to China and its leaders.

Aside from this, the administration also expressed their blatant grooming for warmer ties with China by defending the China-made vaccines despite the low efficacy rate. In spite of several oppositions calling for the cancellation of the purchase of China-made vaccines, Duterte stood by his words and the country’s debt continued to pile up as Duterte loaned more to finance the Department of Health for the vaccination plan, while the debts for infrastructure projects are already bearing too much weight.

More than one year after the first COVID-19 case in the country, on 28 February 2021, the first batch of China-made and China-donated vaccines, Sinovac, made it to the country, and only then the Philippines began its vaccinations.

Another exhibition of Duterte’s unwavering loyalty to China is the administration’s loose regulations on the operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), with his refusal to deny them the grant to operate despite allegations of crimes and illegal activities. The continual protection of Duterte against online gambling services was said to be rooted in the P2-billion revenue the country receives per month. Duterte says, “We need their revenues to fund government programs.”

Truly, P2 billion is a lot of cash and one might have to think twice about suspending the POGO operations. Being blinded by the large sum of revenues, there is more to it that the government fails to notice. Allowing POGOs to continue operations in the country makes it easier for China to make an attack, a crackdown. It also allows them to expand their capitalist powers and build monopolies, resulting in groups of people losing their ancestral lands and livelihood - the environment is damaged, and the bureaucrat capitalist is fattened. The increasing number of Chinese-led firms all over the country proves how China seeks to secure a foothold in the country, an essential step in waging a trade war against the U.S.

The Duterte administration calls it “friendly relations”, but there is a fine line between friendship and submission. They can glamorize and downplay it all they want, but it is only a matter of time before China debunks this romanticized “friendship” and overtly puts a collar around Duterte’s neck.

Sick of the Tricks

To counter the Duterte administration’s opposition, the rightists always have their uniformed, yet uninformed narrative, which is, in the case of Chinese Imperialism, making use of the other imperialist nation, an equal threat to our sovereignty, the United States. They claim that leftists who strongly oppose the government’s tactics lean more and are puppets of U.S. imperialism, which holds no validity.

Whatever acts of imperialism, forcing economic and political supremacy over a nation driven by greed for power is damaging, no matter which country upholds it. Western imperialism deserves an equal condemnation as Chinese imperialism. Instead of ceaselessly depending on such imperialist nations, the Philippine government taking a strong stand in pursuing a policy of active peace and genuine non-alignment would be a great leap towards our undisputable liberty from the shackles of imperialism that have been holding us down for so long.

The Philippines is not a poor country. Our motherland has the resources it needs to stand independently, but as long as the country is in the hands of a tyrant leader with draconian laws designed to persecute his people and exploit the country, the vicious system of oppression that has been laid out since will always persist.

The Filipino people deserve better. The Philippines deserves better. There is no need to normalize idiocracy and corruption in the government. It is about time to put a stop to all the tricks. We are no longer playing the game of fetch where we always had to participate in a chase for the sake of survival while the administration pulls yet another trick to gratify the other nation.

The freak, who is put on a leash, better not play dead when the actual payback time finally arrives.

hange is coming!” The overglorified slogan has been heard throughout the Duterte administration. This campaign’s message was supposed to rehabilitate and bring change to the lives of the Filipino masses. However, this change was envisioned to ameliorate their living conditions, and what transpired during the soughtafter change was a far cry from what was promised.

The sworn progress did not materialize in line with the actual conditions. Numerous controversies of the administration marred this vision of change—leaving nothing but a steady unrest on economic regression. Multiple crises ranging from health, corruption, and livelihood issues largely impacted the socio-economic conditions of the masses, which left them with no choice but to grapple with the violent and overwhelming circumstances that burden the people.

PH Economy in Retrospect

Duterte proved to be a colossal failure in managing the country’s economy, as the Philippines remains reeling from the upshots of the COVID-19 pandemic, TRAIN Law, not to mention the ballooning debts.

In 2018, the controversial Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law was implemented for a relatively fair and efficient tax revenue system to supposedly compensate for their ambitious flagship, “Build, Build, Build” program, which sought to aid in infrastructure development and generate more jobs.

However, what the government has been failing to realize prior to imposing this—or was it never really taken into consideration?—was how low-income households and the poor are disproportionately affected.

Because of this law, prices of both basic goods and services increased, thus contributing to the country’s inflation rate.

During the first few days of Marcos assuming office, the inflation rate reached a record high of 6% in 2022. Unfortunately, the inflation rate did not improve as it continued to rise and hit 6.9% in September and soared even higher in November to a staggering 8%. A higher inflation rate can lead to a decrease in purchasing power and a lower standard of living, particularly for the poor. One could pose the questions, “Why do they need to impose these additional taxes?” “Where they necessary?” since the government needed more and hefty funds after opting to prioritize their projects directed towards infrastructure development as well as health and education, even if these latter two are unrealized, hence requiring an additional revenue. According to the Department of Finance, the proposed implementation of excise taxes on goods and services measures an estimate of P137.2 Billion revenues over the next five years.

Consequently, it all boils down to infrastructure projects’ demands, which brings forth the controversy on the soaring Philippine debts. Since there was an immense need for funding and importation of materials for the “Build, Build, Build” program, the Duterte administration had to borrow money from foreign financial institutions.

In an article published on the Business World website written by economist Andrew Masigan, he mentioned how the country’s finances have worsened with the swelling debts. The Philippines’ debt started at a whopping amount of P6 trillion in 2016. It skyrocketed to P12 trillion before Duterte stepped down as president. Such absurdity in knowing no boundaries in handling and spending taxpayers’ finances befalls the pockets of the people. The same people who get by one scratch, one peck on a day-to-day basis.

“Our budget deficit occurs when government expenditures surpass its revenues in a fiscal year,” Masigan added. The country’s heavy reliance on the importation of goods, particularly the materials for the ambitious infrastructure project, had also made an impact on the gaping balance of the trade deficit. Production and consumption normally have to be balanced to curb the gap in the trade deficit between importation and exportation. Conversely, the Duterte administration enabled the country to be importdependent which threatened the dynamics of the market and the local industries.

And now that Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assumed office, a pressing question on everyone’s mind is—what’s in store a market vendor repacking tomatoes, garlic, and calamansi. Her name is Sheila, 39 years old from Mabolo Naga City. She has two children and has been a vendor for 15 years. When I first approached her at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, I couldn’t tell that she had been at the market since six in the morning. Despite getting ready for another busy market hour, she expressed how her business had been affected by the price hike of goods and services.

“Hababaon ang kinikita mi, minsan P350, minsan P400 pinag-iigo mi na lang ang gastuson uru-aldaw,’’ she said. She also emphasized how they were hurt by the sudden soaring of food prices. According to her, they used to buy goods in bulk but due to the condition, they could hardly afford them; instead, just retail purchases. Her trader—who happens to be the middleman to whom she purchases the goods and stocks—allegedly gets to have the biggest cut than her as the retailer.

The same plight is being experienced by Elaine, 44 years old and a wet market vendor. The recent price hike has added to the ongoing burden they have yet to resolve since being affected by both the pandemic and African Swine Fever (ASF). On top of that, their situation is further aggravated by importation.

“No’ng nag-abot ang ASF nagmahal ang presyo, nagswitch sa importation since mas mura sinda kesa sa amin. Dae pa ngani kami nakarecover sa pandemic and ASF, nagtaraasan na ang presyo. Paano na lang kami?”

She also added that her income was not sufficient to cover their needs, and her six children’s school bills and fees. Had it not been for COVID, she would have saved more money. Instead, every penny went into their loan payments.

“As in tipid talaga kami, iba ngunyan. Nakakasurvive pa rin, wala lang nga naiipon,” she added.

Elaine also aired out her concern about the exportation for the Filipino masses for the next six years?

Looking closely here in Naga City, the struggles of ordinary Naguenians are on par with the marginalized sector, hardly hit by the economic recession. I chanced upon