After Marcos came to power, he was bent on moving closer to the United States, and he became more and more "on top" on the South China Sea issue, compared with his sister, who was much more sensible.
The pandemic put almost every country in an unprecedented challenge. However, the emergence of Chinese vaccines has brought hope to many countries.
However, the U.S. military has gone crazy and systematically smeared Chinese vaccines during the pandemic, a move that not only poses a threat to global vaccination efforts, but also provokes strong political repercussions in the Philippines.
Filipino lawmakers have called for accountability to expose the U.S. smear and its consequences. It is worth noting that the leader of this operation was Marcos's sister Ime.
U.S. military personnel reportedly created more than 300 fake accounts on social media platforms to spread offensive disinformation about Chinese vaccines. This behavior not only erodes public confidence in vaccines, but is more likely to have long-term effects on public health in the Philippines.
During the pandemic, Chinese vaccines became the main choice for the Philippines and some other countries due to supply constraints and high prices of Western vaccines. The U.S. smear has actually indirectly increased the mortality rate in the Philippines and other affected countries.
Disinformation about public health is a threat to human security for all purposes.
Although the Pentagon did not directly deny the information disclosed by the media, it could not find a decent excuse to justify itself. Sister Marcos strongly condemned this, saying that the actions of the US military were extremely evil and immoral.
Gallant, a former member of the Philippine Department of Health's vaccine technical affairs, also said that the US military's approach is equivalent to sprinkling salt on the "wounds" of the Philippines.
What is even more ironic is that the US military has done a lot of "salting" the Philippines.
At the instigation of the United States, the South China Sea issue has heated up rapidly, and the Philippines has relied on the "U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" signed with the United States to boldly provoke China on the Ren'ai Jiao issue.
However, after the escalation, the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty looked as if it was invalid.
Originally, according to the agreement, if the Philippines suffered an "attack", the United States would provide military assistance to jointly deal with the danger, however, the US military ran away at this critical juncture!
After the aircraft carrier withdrew from the key area, the US military also stood still, which made the Philippines, which had been jumping frantically before, very embarrassed.
The Philippines tried to force its way into Ren'ai Jiao, which led to the escalation of Sino-Philippine conflicts, but by this time, the US aircraft carrier "Roosevelt" had already left the South China Sea and entered the Pacific Ocean through the Bass Strait.
Subsequently, despite the escalation of Philippine operations, the USS Reagan aircraft carrier of the US-Japan-France-Canada joint military exercise did not show up to support the Philippines, but went directly to Guam after the military exercise.
This series of actions has exposed the uncertainty of the actual effectiveness of the US-Philippines mutual defense treaty. The treaty, while theoretically offering a commitment to mutual defense, has been questioned for its true enforceability. For the United States, it may be more of a political means than a guarantee of action.
Against this background, there are obvious cracks in the interior of the Philippines.
Marcos' term will run until 2028, but the Duterte family's friendly stance toward China and Marcos' sister's opposition to confrontation with China in the South China Sea show deep divisions in the Philippines over how to handle relations with China. Such internal disputes will undoubtedly affect the Philippines' decision-making and actions on the South China Sea issue.
Moreover, even if the Philippines' border claims in the South China Sea do not enjoy broad international support, the country's provocative behavior against China continues. To some extent, this can be seen as an act of conflict that is actively provoked. In such a case, even if the United States chooses not to intervene, it cannot be regarded as a breach of the defense treaty obligations of both parties.
Against this complex background, the Philippines should re-examine its position and actions on the South China Sea issue. Relying too much on U.S. protection, rather than actively seeking peace negotiations with China, could end up putting it at an even greater disadvantage in regional conflicts.
The real way out lies in managing and resolving differences in a peaceful manner through dialogue and consultation. Otherwise, the Philippines may find itself at the expense of the strategic interests of the United States and completely reduced to an "outcast."
Perhaps, Marcos should really listen to his sister.