A strong economy secures the West Philippine Sea

Civil society this week called on the Philippines to strengthen its economy rather than compromise its sovereignty to appease China and ease tensions in the West Philippine Sea. It asserted that economic strength should enable the country to defend its sovereignty, not become a reason to surrender it. The call comes in response to certain Philippine business groups urging Manila and Beijing to de-escalate tensions amid concerns over trade, investment and employment.

I totally agree. These so-called business groups’ blanket call for de-escalation is an exercise in selective blindness, conveniently glossing over who the aggressor is and the glaring power imbalance between the Philippines and China. How exactly does our country escalate tensions against a vastly more powerful neighbor that keeps intruding into our waters, harassing our fishers and picking fights through its troll embassy? If they want to preach de-escalation, they should start with Beijing.

We remind them that one of the surest ways to defend our sovereignty, particularly the West Philippine Sea, is to build a strong economy. Economic prosperity and national sovereignty are not mutually exclusive; they are mutually reinforcing. A strong economy should give us greater capacity to defend our sovereignty, not pressure us to compromise it.

Yet this is precisely the false choice being peddled by China and its motley crew of Tsinadors, who think that because it is a major trading partner and many Filipinos work in its territories, we must also surrender our backbone and zip our mouths whenever Beijing throws its weight around. To them, national subservience goes with economic partnership.

This is the same laughable logic peddled by a short-lived national security adviser who reduced foreign policy to a discussion about undies. It seems that to fifth columnists, sovereignty is a pair of underwear that one can take off to keep the neighborhood bully happy.

Our just struggle to defend the West Philippine Sea should never be compromised in the name of preserving trade, investment and employment ties with China. Rather, it should remind us that defending our sovereignty, sovereign rights and territorial integrity must go hand in hand with strengthening our domestic industries, building economic resilience and expanding our national productive capacity.

The Philippines can start by reducing its economic vulnerabilities by identifying other import sources, such as India, and developing alternative suppliers for critical industrial inputs, including steel, machinery and electronic components. At the same time, it must strengthen domestic manufacturing, invest in value-added industries and build a more productive agricultural sector to improve food security and reduce dependence on imported goods.

Our country must also expand access to international markets so our exporters are not overly reliant on a single buyer. It should welcome foreign investments from diverse countries, provided these generate decent jobs, facilitate technology transfer and contribute to domestic industrial development. The goal is to build an economy strong enough to engage the world on its own terms, rather than remain vulnerable to economic pressure from any single country.

Ultimately, by strengthening our economy, Filipino workers will have the genuine option to build a secure livelihood at home instead of being forced to leave because there are no jobs to find domestically. Overseas employment should be seen as an opportunity rather than an economic necessity. Our workers must not become hostages of foreign powers.

Vietnam offers us important lessons. Through sustained reforms, strategic investments and trade diversification, it transformed itself into an economic powerhouse. It attracted global investments, integrated into international supply chains, strengthened domestic industries and created millions of jobs while maintaining its independence and economic relationships with major powers. We should draw lessons from its experience and build our own economy by strengthening domestic manufacturing, modernizing agriculture, investing in infrastructure and human capital, attracting strategic investments that generate technology transfer and decent jobs and diversifying our trading partners and export markets.

What we need is a new economic vision. What we need is a patriotic, interdependent and competitive economy. Patriotic because we must put Filipino interests first, strengthen domestic industries, protect workers, create opportunities at home and secure our sovereignty. Interdependent because we must engage the world, diversify our economic partnerships and pursue mutually beneficial trade and investments without becoming beholden to any single country. Competitive because we must invest in our productive capacity, technology, infrastructure and human capital to enable us to thrive in the global marketplace.

Of course, building a strong economy is neither an overnight undertaking nor something that can be accomplished within a single presidential term. It requires sustained commitment, long-term planning, consistent investments and policies that transcend administrations. It may take a decade or even longer to transform our domestic industries, strengthen our productive capacity, diversify our trade and investment partners, secure our food and energy needs and create decent livelihoods for our people. But the process must begin now. We must begin laying the foundations of an economy that can withstand external pressures, compete globally and protect our national interests without compromising our sovereignty.

With the 2028 presidential election fast approaching, the time to have this serious national conversation is now. We must demand that those aspiring to lead the country present a clear, credible and long-term roadmap to economic prosperity, one that strengthens our industries, creates opportunities at home, protects our workers, diversifies our economic partnerships and upholds our sovereign rights.

We must not allow the false choice between economic prosperity and national sovereignty to define our future. In 2028, we must choose between a future held hostage by economic dependence on other countries and a path towards genuine economic strength and sovereignty, one built on sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships with other countries, negotiated on our own terms and guided by our national interests.