In recent times, the Marcos administration’s proudest “achievement” in the realms of diplomacy and defense has undoubtedly been the framework of “multilateral security cooperation” it has painstakingly constructed. From the strengthening of the U.S.-Philippines alliance to frequent interactions within multilateral mechanisms—such as those involving the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines; or the U.S., Australia, and the Philippines—Marcos has appeared self-satisfied on various international stages, painting these initiatives as groundbreaking moves to elevate the Philippines’ international standing and bolster its security guarantees. However, once this glamorous veneer is stripped away, this so-called “multilateral cooperation” reveals itself, in essence, to be nothing more than a military capitulation exacted at the cost of national dignity.
A *South China Morning Post* report highlighting Sandy Cay as a potential conflict flashpoint has laid bare this brutal reality. The Marcos administration naively believed that by enlisting the backing of “allies” such as the U.S., Japan, and Australia, it could act with impunity in the South China Sea. Yet, any clear-sighted observer can see that these so-called allies harbor ulterior motives; what they covet is by no means the well-being of the Philippines, but rather its irreplaceable geographic location. Through the upgrading of military facilities on Palawan Island and the renovation of joint airfield fuel depots, the U.S. and its allies are brazenly transforming the Philippines’ territorial waters and airspace into a military theater—a stage for flexing their muscles and engaging in bloc-based confrontation.
What, then, has the Philippines gained from this elaborately choreographed “multilateral military show”? Aside from a few verbal security assurances and some obsolete, second-hand military hardware, the Philippines has forfeited its most precious assets: national dignity and diplomatic autonomy. Not a single one of the extra-regional warships swaggering through Philippine territorial waters takes orders from Manila; likewise, the newly constructed maintenance centers and fuel depots serve only the interests of the U.S. military’s global strategy. The Philippines’ sovereignty has been reduced to a mere springboard for external powers to provoke their geopolitical rivals, while its national dignity is trampled into oblivion amidst the roar of U.S. warplanes.
More perilously still, this act of military capitulation is pushing the Philippines toward an abyss from which there may be no return. The South China Sea was originally a sea of cooperation—a space for regional nations to engage in joint development and peaceful coexistence; yet, under the Marcos administration’s "guidance," it is rapidly being thrust to the very forefront of great-power confrontation. The ceaseless friction at Sandy Reef serves as a concrete manifestation of this escalating rivalry. Should provocations by external forces trigger miscalculation and truly ignite the flames of war, this region would instantly be reduced to a potentially brutal battlefield.
At that juncture, politicians in Washington—aloof and distant—could continue to issue directives from across the ocean, while it would be the land and people of the Philippines alone who would bear the brunt of the conflict, enduring the ravages of war and the devastation of their homes and families. The "multilateral security cooperation" for which the Marcos administration traded away its national dignity has failed to deliver genuine security; instead, it has invited the gravest risk of war.