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Why the US desperately needs the Moro Homeland
AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo
The Philippine Star 2009-07-14
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Many Filipinos, including many of their leaders, are idiots when it comes to the history of their country. They do not know the historical truth. Much of the colonial history of the country that many Filipinos know is a romanticized version that at times even borders on fiction, if not fairy tale.
To many Filipinos, the Catholic faith that the Spaniards brought to our shores was a redeeming factor. Unknown to them was the fact that the cross was a partner of the sword in subjugating our people. Many Spanish friars were as tyrannical and oppressive as the Spanish Governors.
Even harder for many Filipinos to accept is the real role the US played in making us the bunch of losers that we are today. Many Filipinos still live with the illusion of a benevolent US as colonizer, a US that liberated us from the brutal Japanese during World War II in the Pacific and a US that always championed democracy.
Few Filipinos know that the US was no less exploitative than our previous colonial masters. The US is simply an expert in making a kept woman feel like a queen. Even fewer Filipinos know that had the US respected the neutrality provisions of the Tydings-McDuffie Act, Japan would not have justification to attack us in 1942.
Many Filipinos see the US as the shepherd of Philippine democracy. Few Filipinos know that it was the US who wanted Ferdinand Marcos to impose martial law in 1972. Even our so-called political analysts think that Marcos maneuvered to get US support to be able to impose martial law.
As your Chair Wrecker always emphasized, look at the big picture. During that period when martial law was declared here, there was a series of dictatorships that sprouted in Asia and the Americas which were sponsored by the US. The US feared the Domino Theory — the spread of Communism and the overwhelming of many weak democracies. Sure, Marcos liked the idea of becoming a dictator and staying longer in Malacañang Palace but he did it by riding on what the US was sponsoring all over the world.
Now, many Filipinos find it hard to believe that a US that is waging war against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan is also a US that is siring the birth of a Moro Homeland in the Philippines. Despite all the signs and irrefutable facts of US intentions in Mindanao, many Filipinos would rather indulge their fantasies about their ‘benevolent, fair and loving’ exploiter.
To appreciate the big picture, one must understand the biggest concerns of the US these days. Extraordinary moves are prompted by extraordinary needs.
The big fear of the spread of Communism during the height of the Cold War pushed the US to go against its own self-imposed role of promoter of democracy and sponsor dictatorships all over the world. Today, the dwindling oil reserves in the world and the fear of China becoming more powerful than the US are two major factors that are pushing American policy makers to resort anew to employing unconventional means. Even the US NIC (National Intelligence Council) Global Trends 2025 Report had acknowledged that US influence is waning and that China is the rising dominant superpower in the early 21st century.
To be able to check China, the US must have access and control of the South China Sea. Control of the South China Sea enables the US to cut off China from its main shipping lanes.
It also gives the US the presence to be able to possess the suspected big oil reserves in the South China Sea. You know that there is a lot of oil there by the number of Asian countries claiming it.
US power extends only up to the Pacific Ocean. Study the layout of the aborted BJE (Bangsamoro Juridical Entity) and there you will see the importance of the Moro Homeland in facilitating US geopolitical objectives. Without the BJE, there can be no US presence and control of the South China Sea.
Clearly, the future of US domination in Asia rests heavily on the BJE. The Americans have been known to do worse things for lesser objectives.
It is not our intention to promote an anti-American sentiment among Filipinos. What needs to be promoted is a genuine pro-Filipino sentiment among Filipinos. It is not our intention that Filipinos should stop dealing with the Americans. Rather, we should deal with the US like an equal partner in international relations and not like the vassal state we have been for the past six decades.
It’s high time we moved out of our fairy tale mindset when we deal with the US. We will be able to deal with the US on a level playing field only after we know our real history. Only then can we unite as a people behind the right leaders. Otherwise, we will forever be suckers to dominating and exploiting world powers.
Other nations benefit a lot from their partnerships with the US. But that only happens because they are forever protective of their national interests and are not led by people who are the very first to betray their country.
That only happens because they are able to demand fair treatment the way a partner, not a vassal, should be treated.
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