Not an ideological change

In the years bridging the ‘60s and ‘70s, I joined mass rallies and demonstrations some of which ended in violent clashes with police authorities. For most students who wanted to project leadership roles, it was the vogue of the time. It was the “in” thing for collegians. I spent a part of my youthful exuberance marching thru such main streets as Jones Avenue (now Osmeña Boulevard) and Colon Street, denouncing American Imperialism and shouting fascist Marcos. Oh such mouthful slogans of protest!

There was even a time when I attended the National Student Leaders Convention in Manila, that I was asked to speak, as a Visayan delegate, in front of hundreds of students massed across the US Embassy at the Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas Boulevard). My discourse was about the inequality and unfairness of the Laurel-Langley agreement. Honestly though, I had not read the document signed by Senator Jose Laurel and James Langley. I only spoke from what were fed to us during our secretive teach-ins. I also delivered a speech before hundreds of students demonstrating in front of the old Philippine Congress to denounce the fascistic regime of Ferdinand E. Marcos. Truth is that only years later did I learn that our activities formed part of the era called “First Quarter Storm” (FQS) and our activism purportedly led to the so-called People Power Revolution.

I remember those violent and chaotic days of the FQS when I chanced upon a recent social media post about an agreement between Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr and American President Donald Trump to put up a munitions factory in the Subic Bay area in Zambales. Historically, the Subic Naval Base was, until 1991, America’s biggest facility where its deep waters could berth US aircraft carriers and where repairs of its Pacific fleet were done. Apropos to the agreement, President Trump, in a video footage claimed that with the establishment of such factory America will have “more ammunition than any country ever had.”

President Marcos explained that the concept of the munitions hub is not a recent decision. In fact, the US, in our own president’s words, is “just assisting the Philippines in (our) self-reliance defense program xx to be able to stand on our two feet whatever the future circumstances may be”. His using the word “assist” was an effort to show that the idea of manufacturing ammunitions in the Subic, Zambales area was a Philippine brain child and not of the US. Mr. Renato Cruz de Castro, a professor on International Studies, speaking in a separate forum, gave us a hint of the Marcos phrase “whatever the future circumstances may be” as referring to the unfolding events at the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

It is a matter of fact that the permanent International Arbitral Tribunal ruled in 2016 that most part of the WPS lie within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It is also a matter of international knowledge that Communist China has militarily invaded, forcibly seized and illegally occupied portions of the WPS. There had been many occasions that Chinese maritime assets, while navigating in Philippine seas trained their water cannons on Filipino vessels and blinded our coast guard with Chinese laser lights. All because these communist bullies know that we are incapable of militarily resisting them.

I might have been a FQS marcher against the Marcos-US clique then, but I support Marcos’ munitions hub project and laud the American assistance in the construction of the ammunition factory. Side by side with the development of the EDCA sites into real military facilities, we can eventually offer a semblance of defense of our territorial sovereignty against the Chinese invasion. Let no one describe my stand as a change of youthful idealism and ideology. While I spewed American imperialism then, I embrace the hope that with US on our side, we can uphold our sovereignty.