Welcome, G.I. Joe!

The leftists and left-leaning individuals and organizations may cry out in deafening sound and fury against the entry of American military forces in Basilan and Southern Philippines, but their protestations are certainly going to fall in deaf ears among the great majority of Filipinos. In a recent informal survey conducted by a media outfit, nine of ten Filipinos staunchly supported America’s participation in the effort to stamp out the Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist groups, and welcomed the American soldiers with open arms.

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In a recent briefing in Pentagon, Washington, the US defense spokesman tagged the terrorists in Philippine soil as the second next target of the American government ñ after Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda. The insinuation is that very soon ñ and it is actually happening now ñ hundreds, if not thousands, of American troops are going to enter the Philippine picture.

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Do you think that most Filipinos are alarmed over this development? Definitely not. In fact, most Filipinos are eagerly awaiting the massive airborne of US soldiers into the jungles and lairs of Basilan. And there is such eagerness for the Americans to come because of the utter failure of Philippine law-enforcement agencies, despite repeated promises, to put an end to the Abu Sayyaf problem.

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Filipinos are no different from the people of other nations of the world. There, their governments court America’s friendship and kowtow to America’s legitimate demands. Israel, Palestine, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and India, Japan, South Korea, Britain ñ all these countries and more usually move heaven and earth to be acknowledged as America’s friends. This is also very true in the Philippines, except for a handful of noisy left-leaning groups that have not yet realized that the word "nationalism" is fast fading away in a borderless world.

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If I often advert to the wise and enlightening comments of foreigners regarding happenings here in the Philippines, it is due to the fact that they have a different point of view. Sometimes it is easier to see "the big picture", or at least different small points, when the analysts or observers are farther away from a situation, either geographically or culturally.

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Let us take the case of the Philippine government’s acceptance of help from US military advisors in resolving the terrorist problem in Mindanao, As pointed out by Dr. David Murphy, MD, the British forces under the command of Lord Cornwallis surrendered to the forces under the command of General George Washington on October 19, 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia. This effectively established the independence of the American colonies.

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What has not been emphasized, said Dr. Murphy, is that the forces which Washington commanded were trained by foreign advisors, the highest ranking being the French General Lafayette and the German, Baron von Steuben. In addition, large numbers of French troops served as combatants in their own units. Much of the American artillery pieces, essential in the bombardment of the surrounded British troops, came from the French. Finally, the victory at Yorktown would not have been possible without the absolutely crucial role of the fleet of French warships which prevented Cornwallis from carrying out his intention to escape by sea. In other words, American independence and everything that followed was possible only because of foreign military aid.

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I would like to adopt as my own Dr. Murphy’s advice about the entry of American troops in the war against Philippine terrorists led by the Abu Sayyaf. He suggested that we should not criticize the Philippine government or the armed forces for accepting America’s help. Recognizing that we need help, asking for it, and accepting help when we need it are all signs of maturity, not of weakness.

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And then, we should not criticize the Americans for extending help. We are just passing along a favor done to us more than two hundred years ago. Yes, we have a vested interest in the outcome, just as the French did when they helped us. The critical fact is that the aid will benefit the Philippines even more than it serves U.S. and global anti-terrorist goals.

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"Filipinos would do well to take a broader historical perspective on their situation. The United States today is perhaps more powerful, relative to the rest of the world, than any nation in history (and I pray that its leaders use that power appropriately) but it wasn’t always so," said Dr. Murphy. He recalled that just thirty years after the American victory at Yorktown, British troops occupied Washington, D.C. They even burned the White House! The Americans went through periods of civil unrest, challenges to the central authority, blatant corruption and incompetence even up to the office of the President. "If you want to look really good, compare our bloody Civil War with your People Power Revolutions," he said.

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Dr. Murphy’s sound advice is for us to stop being hard on ourselves. We have so much to be proud of. While we have many problems to face, it is equally important to keep the vision of what we, Filipinos, want for our country. The Old Book says, "A people without vision shall perish." Let us thus recognize the challenges but focus on the solutions and the ultimate desired outcome. As the clich goes, pray like everything depends on God and work like everything depends on us.

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Thoughts For Today:

He who loses money loses much.
He who loses a friend loses much more.
He who loses faith loses all.

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The secret of life is not just to live,
but to have something worthwhile to live for.
We only live once, but if we live right,
one lifetime is enough.

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My e-mail addresses: <[email protected]>. and [email protected]