Corruption, Chaos & Drugs| Calls for Marcos Jr. Resignation Intensify! W/Anna Malindog-Uy

All right, hello everybody, hello everybody, good morning and good evening, whatever part of the world you are in, and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. I'm your host, Dr. Oualaalou, excited to be with you. I'm even more excited because I have my dear friend Professor Anna Malindog with me here, so I'm going to bring her in quickly here into the studio. Before I launch into this, please remember to join me today at 12:30 on the other channel, Geopolitics and Money. We will be talking, Elizabeth and I, on really some major economic and financial issues. So make sure to join me at 12:30 for that. So let me bring in my dear friend, Professor Anna Malandat. Hi, Anna.

Hi, David. Dr. David, thank you so much for welcoming me, welcoming me back to your program.

It's— of course, of course, is a treat to to have you. So I want you to know how excited the community is. Matter of fact, I'm looking at the chat box. It's— there's so many people here excited to have you here. So, uh, to those who do not— yeah, go ahead, Anna.

Um, hello to our audience. Thank you so much for joining me and Dr. David for this very exciting discussion.

I think it is, it is, given what's going on. For those who do not know who Professor Anna Mandag is, Anna Mandag is a PhD candidate at the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development at Peking University in Beijing. She's also economist, writer for the Manila Times, and of course the Deputy Secretary General for the Association for the Philippines-China Understanding. And by the way, she's just been elected as a board of trustees, so she's a member into that. So, well, welcome to have you back here, Anna. There is a lot to cover. And by the way, while I'm thinking about it, to those who might not have been aware of my encounter with Anna in Beijing— we met there— I'm gonna put a link for you. I'm gonna put a link right there in the chat box. Go watch that short clip video that I did, Anna and I, we did when we met for dinner. I remember it was wonderful, by the way, Anna. I enjoyed it.

It was really— for me too. I mean, like, it was our first time to meet. 4 hours of talking and discussion.

Oh my God, oh my God, I will never forget that. So I want you to—

and next time I'll be on your side.

Oh, would love to have you there. Yeah, I'd love to have you here. Would love to. I'll take you for some real barbecue here in Texas. So, well, let's move on into our really— uh, I'm sure my Filipino, uh, viewers are eager to hear from you and other people in the community as well. So what I would like to start with, Anna, is your overall assessment about the Philippines. Not what's going on right now, but since the last time we spoke. Another word, did you see any improvement? Did things go even down, get bad, chaotic, and so forth? What's your overall assessment?

Actually, to be very honest and frank, and I'm speaking in, in as a Filipino, no, um, from the last time I guested here in your program, in your channel, until now. I think in terms of improvement, there's no such thing under Marcos Jr. government. I think from that time until now, there's a lot— I mean, the country is really surrounded or, you know, facing a lot of problems, may it be in the economic side, may it be in foreign policy, may it be in, let us say, in the Mindanao part of our country, and also politically speaking. Because, you know, there is a level of political instability in the Philippines from that point until now. And now it's more intensified, as you can see. There were pockets of rallies, and then last two days ago, there was a huge, huge rally. And one was led by the INC, is a huge religious group in the Philippines, and the other one was in EDSA, I think, and also led by UPI, which is which is like a movement. But most of the— well, I think the one who established the movement, the UPI, basically were the retired generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. And now, of course, they're very active in this. And of course, they're not the only members, or they're not the only one being part of the movement, but people like me is actually part of it because we're clamoring for accountability, transparency, especially when you talk about massive corruption in government. And if you look at our economy, it's struggling. You can see the peso is almost— a few days back, it's like around almost 60, $1 to 60 pesos. And when you talk about the economy, foreign direct investment, instead of going up, it's going down 40%. And then you have our GDP growth, the projection before that it will grow like 6.5 or 5.5, but actually reported third Third quarter of this year, it's 4.0. So you can see the country is not really in good health, and it's more— it's getting chaotic and chaotic. But I think the most important issue here is the issue of good governance, because right now the country is really facing what you call massive corruption in government. And what government we're talking about? Of course, we're talking about Marcos Jr.'s government. So From, from that time until now, I think the situation is getting worse and worse and worse. And I really hope that before it, you know, before the country collapses, I mean, there would be some kind of light or some kind of, you know, a saving grace. Because, you know, it's not good to see a country which has a lot of potential to be great and to be good and to be a source of, you know, I mean, for especially for the Filipino people, you know, to, to have a good life. I don't want to see my country go, I'm going down the drain as much as I can, as much as, as possible. So that is what the situation right now. From, from that point, I think the last time I guested in your program, I think was 4 months ago, or—

yes, correct. Yeah, before my trip to China.

That's before your trip to China.

Yeah. That is correct. Well, that's, uh, that's some sort of a sombering reality. It's the fact, it's the truth, and I am glad you are sharing this with our audience, both inside the Philippines and outside, for them to know where things are. Now, uh, I've been following what was going on. The reason I didn't reach out to you earlier, I know you were busy with some other interviews and so forth. That's why I wanted to wait on, on, on this till your schedule becomes a little bit, uh, sort of free. And the reason why I wanted to address this with you, because I wanted to have the community get your perspective onto, uh, uh, get your perspective about the massive calls, the intensive calls right now inside the Philippines for Marcos to step down, because they have intensified. And this has to do with the corruption allegations. Can you please elaborate into— I have one, one picture before I turn it over to you, and this picture is the religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church of Christ, which attended the first of the 3-day anti-corruption protest in Querétaro. And here is the picture, is this one right here. Massive, massive.

Yeah, it's massive. It's around 1 million, more than a million, I think.

Can you please elaborate on this? Why now the calls on Marcos to step down are intensified?

I think the call for— one thing that I have to clarify about all of what is happening in the country, and you know, there's such a massive and intensified call for Marcos Jr. to step down. And even I wrote, I wrote actually an article in for my regular column, in an op-ed column in the Manila Times, and, and actually the title of Marcos' resignation, why is it important, or Why is it necessary at the moment? I wrote about it and it was published last Saturday. And why is it intensified at the moment? You have to— and one thing, do I want to clarify one thing? Because, you know, there are a lot of political factions in the country that is— they're painting the whole situation as if it is, um, it is Marcos versus Duterte, some kind of thing. No, it's not. To be very frank, as far as I'm concerned, it's not about Marcos versus Duterte. This is not about that. This is really about the president, Marcos Jr. versus the people of the Philippines and the Republic, because the issues are not anymore about family matters. It's not anymore about family feud. This is not even an issue between what, um, Imee Marcos, this Senator Imee Marcos and his brother, because Imee Marcos in the rally two nights ago, I think, or a night, yeah, two nights ago, actually confirmed and affirmed that our president, sadly speaking, is into illegal drugs or is a drug addict. So I, I mean, he, she confirmed that. So But people are painting it as if like it's a family feud. No, it's not. This is really between BBM, the president, and the Filipino people and the Republic, because these issues are not anymore, um, just a joke. These are first and foremost, it, it has something to do with national security. It has something to do with, um, being faithful to the Constitution as the president and Third, it has something to do with assessing if the president is actually capable of handling and leading the country, given that there is this confirmation coming from a sister. It's a family relative, it's a kin. And I think if you really listen to the speech, because it was in Tagalog, it was not in English, if you really listen to the speech of Senator Aimee two nights ago, it's not just about now that he was a drug dependent, it was even before when they were young, like teenagers. You can see that there is credibility in, in, in, in, in the speech and even in the testimony of Senator Imee Marcos. So even I, I believe. But me, even before the testimony, to be very frank, of Senator Imee, I know already that he is a drug addict. I just don't say it plainly because, you know, um, as I'm an academic, and as far as I'm concerned, I need to be very careful when, when I say something. So before, I cannot say that. I don't say it just, you know, plainly that he is a drug addict. But even before, I know already that he is a drug addict. I know, I'm very much aware of it, to be very frank, and I can prove it. But of course, it's not necessary right now because you already have a testimony coming from the sister, which is— I believe it's true. On the other hand, that is not even the point. That's not even just the case. Why people in my country, and even I think people across the world would agree with the Filipino people that he needs to step down. It's not just about that. The other side of the story is his government really, for the last, what, 2 to 3 years, and even it's more intensified now, I think, and it's more latent and glaring at the moment. It's precisely because his government also is, you know, um, facing a lot of allegations regarding corruption, massive corruption in government. Um, the former congressman, uh, um, Sal Dikul, um, also had revelations that, you know, it's, um, the president is allegedly involved in the 100 billion, um, budget assertion of the 2025 national budget. Imagine, David, it's 100 billion pesos. It's a lot of money. I mean, 1 million is even, you know, you can be accused already of corruption for 1 million pesos, how much more 100 billion pesos? And that's only 2025 national budget. And there's a lot— and that, that's even— it has only— it has something to do with what you call flood control projects. But come on, give me a break, we're just scratching the surface when you talk about massive corruption in government. There are other agencies that are not yet under investigation. We're just looking at the flood control, and it's a lot of money and a lot of corruption going on and had, you know, that happened. And one thing that you have to remember, it's under his administration. And other people is defending the president saying that he's not the one who pocketed the money, he is not— he— his name was used, or he was used by other people around him. But come on, give me a break. Even in that kind of argument, there's such a thing as command responsibility. It's your government, you're on top. You should not allow, or should have at least, you know, were able to control all of these things because you're supposed to be on top of everything. And as the president, you are powerful, actually the most powerful person in, in the Philippines when you talk about power and power of government, the president. So how can you just— how, how can they justify that he was just used by other people when in fact he is the top person of government? There's such a thing as command responsibility. So that's even the case. And another thing, during his— this during his leadership right now. These are facts because you have reports and news clippings all over. Um, during— in this administration, one thing that we have to remember, the economy is struggling too. Um, and like, for example, our GDP, as I have said earlier, third quarter is 4.0. Our peso is going down, and it's not okay if our— if our economy is going down, precisely because the one who suffers, of course, are the Filipino people. And every one of us are struggling already how to survive. How much more we will struggle if he stays in office. And another, aside from— so the economy is struggling. You have, you know, FDI is going down. Well, of course, who will invest in a country that is flooded or, or with an image of massive corruption in government? No one. A serious investor would go— would not go to the Philippines. So that's one thing. And, you know, the stock market is plummeting. My God, in, in our history, it's the lowest value of peso in our history, and even I think in stock market as well. So you can see all, all indicators that he needs to step down, including the, the, the confirmation coming from Senator Aimee that he is using illegal drugs. If you put this together, if you are in our— in your right mind as a citizen of a country, you call for resignation of your ex, you know, of your president. And calling for a resignation is not something personal as well. Why other people in the Philippines are trying to make it a personal thing that, you know, you're a supporter of Duterte, that's why you're calling for recognition. No, it's not. No, no, no, no, no, it's a national security concern, and it's, it's actually an active citizenship responsibility because at the end of the day, the office of the president is a public trust. And in our constitution, very, very clear, David. Let me just elaborate a little bit on that.

Article—

because it's very important for us Filipinos. Article 11, Section 1: Public office is a public trust. Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency. What is the meaning of this when you talk about all of the things that is happening in my country at the moment? First, it is a principle that binds the president, meaning the office of the president is a public trust. Now, if the president's trust rating is plummeting, his approval rating is going down, his political legitimacy is almost zero, his political capital is almost zero, then there's such a thing as a loss of trust. So that is even one of the reasons why people are calling for him to step down. And another thing, so that you lose credibility and integrity. The second important, uh, I think very important, um, um, provision in the Constitution, because the Constitution is the, is the basic law of the land, everything has to be referred to the Constitution, so it's important. And the Constitution is non-negotiable. The second one is Article 7, Section 17. President must ensure faithful execution of the law or of laws. The president shall have control of all executive departments, bureaus, and offices. He shall ensure that the laws be faithfully executed. But how can he— so one of this— how can he do that when in fact he's being accused as allegedly the mastermind in the insertion of 100 billion in the 2025 national budget during the bicameral the bicameral discussion. We discussed this before.

I remember.

Yeah, I guessed it. So accountability for action. And then he— other people are saying like, no, the president was just used by other people around him. Still, at the end of the day, it's your accountability because you're the president. You have command responsibility. So constitutionally wise, it's, it's there in the constitution. And another thing that is very, very important is the health of the president. The health of the president is important, and it's based on the Constitution. The people, the people of the Philippines must know what is really the condition of his health, precisely because it affects your way of thinking. Like, and now his, his sister said that he is a drug dependent. So in that case, there's a lot of issues to that. First and foremost, it will affect the president, um, decisions. Decision-making.

Yeah, the mental, mental states for making the right decisions.

That's correct, David.

That is correct.

Yeah, you know how he will think, and then it will affect military decisions and foreign policy decision-making and how you're gonna position your country vis-à-vis other countries. Look, look, our country is a very delicate— has a very delicate geopolitical, um, situation with reference to the South China Sea issue, even the Taiwan Strait. If your president doesn't have any kind of mentally fit or healthy, he may have— he may make decisions that will put us in a very precarious situation given the geopolitical challenges that the region is facing. And we are part of the first island chain.

Yeah, he will have lapses of judgment.

And then another thing, David, is diplomatic engagement. Also, at the same time, how the world will view us. Do you really think if now that the world knows that our president has this drug Dependence. Yeah, yeah. Do you think other countries will deal with us, like for example, in terms of trade agreements, bilateral trade agreements, multilateral trade agreements? No, of course not. They will have second thought. Why? Because they may think, oh, maybe now he's okay, later when we talk again he's not okay. Everything changes. It's not consistent precisely because they have doubts in his mental capacity or health— mental health capacity. So these are all factors why Filipinos are actually clamoring for him to step down. First, it's economy. The economy, again, the economy is collapsing. Governance is paralyzed. Foreign relations are affected. So, you know, all of these things to put in one.

Yeah.

Do you really think, David, if you're a Filipino, you will not call for BBM's resignation? Of course not. The logical— this is the logical conclusion of everything. It's not because it's personal. No, it's not. This is really the clamor because it's really happening, and that's factual even, you know. There's a lot of news clippings about on all of these things.

Yeah, you're absolutely correct, and we're gonna elaborate about the South China Sea and so forth as we move forward. I want to go back to one point when you mentioned about the president's sister confirming the drug addiction. By the way, just for the community, I'm gonna put a link for you. I, I read an article and I, I, I followed up on it. I know where I can find the information and I send it, I posted for you in the chat box. So, so I was aware of the drug addicts, Anna. I just—

I know you are.

I didn't want to bring it up last time.

Oh, me too, right? We always avoided it as much as we can.

Yeah, that is correct. I was also aware of the drug-related homicide that took place in LA. You see, pertain to the family.

So I was aware, my fellow citizen. David is aware of what happened in, in, in, in, in, in the United States about that.

And I read, to let you know, just for the community, I read the report because it was made public. Remember, for us in the US it falls under public, uh, the sort of Public Information Act, which has to be disclosed. So it was a drug-related homicide case for that. But for now, suffice it to say, uh, what the, uh, Philippines president— because Marcos now Jr.— is rejecting his sister's accusation about usage of cocaine. So read the article, please, the community. I posted for you in the chat box so you can, you can look that up. So now let's— we know, and you are absolutely correct, Anna, about this issue of drugs because it will lead to lapses of judgment, especially when you have the faith of the country depends on you and you are not squared away mentally, physically, psychologically, emotionally the country suffers. Yes, that's, that's— you, you hit the nail on the head with that arguments. Now, now where I see my concern moving forward with this now, the intention, uh, the intensive calls for him to step down because of the recent corruption allegation. Corruption is nothing new in Philippines, and we have it here in the US, by the way. Let me just be on— be frank with you all, we have it My concern about the Philippines— why is this? Is because I was following what was going on with the flood control projects, and I found out the massive corruption that took place behind the scenes into that. How do you, in your opinion, how do you see this impacting the trajectory for these calls for him to step down? Will the administration respond to the public demand for him to resign?

Um, it's of— it's right now the administration of Marcos Jr. is saying that, um, um, he— that Marcos Jr. is committed to, to resolving the issue of massive corruption in government. That's why he instituted what you call the ICI. It's like infrastructure commission that investigates flood control projects. So they're justifying that, you know, he is doing something.. And also, of course, so that is the justification. But to be very frank with you, David, even whatever they— however they tried to spin this into a PR campaign that, you know, the BBM is committed to resolving corruption, at the end of the day, it's an issue of delicadeza, and it's an issue also of a little of integrity, if he has that, and credibility. When one— if you're a president and your government is surrounded and being accused, and he even is being accused by— based on the revelation of Congressman Saldeco, former Congressman Saldeco, it's not only him. That is even the problem, David, just to make a note. It's not just him that is being accused. The whole family is being accused. I mean, the immediate family including extended family, like former Speaker Martin Romualdez. So, you know, I don't understand why in the hell you cling to power, because you, you lose almost everything— moral ascendancy, um, political legitimacy. The world knows about it. So why would you stay in power, really? So you know what, the, the unifying issue to be— it's not even the drug addiction that actually for me, the way I see it, is a unifying issue, um, of— in the Philippines that would really intensify in the— now it's intensified, and I think would intensify more in the coming days— is massive corruption in his government. Of course, the drug dependency issue is very important because it has something to do with his capability to run the country mentally speaking, because it's a health— a mental health issue. However, I think One of the very important is the massive corruption in government because it affects every segment and every sector of Philippine society. Everything. I mean, we have a budget deficit. They are financing our budget deficit by borrowing money from multilateral banks or multilateral institutions, even local banks and local institutions. How are we gonna pay it? How are we gonna pay it when money are pocketed? Our debt will be too much that we cannot even breathe anymore. I'm finishing a degree in economics, a doctoral doctorate in economics, so I kind of understand this thing. So for me, I told, you know, when I speak in public, I said there's no way out. There's a need for a change in leadership for the country to be able to survive and for the country to at least have a breathing space to restructure, recalibrate everything, even foreign policy-wise. You know, our— no one is— no one wants to invest in the Philippines because of massive corruption. This is the— this is really, um, the, the, the most important issue, plus his capacity to lead the country because he is drug dependent. So this is, I think, the— there will be another— I am not sure because I, I was just informed that there will be, um, an, uh, some kind of a rally again, and that will be on November 30th. And the call, I think, is transparency and accountability, and that would be about massive corruption in government. But I'm not sure who will be participating in this rally, but that's another one. But even every now and then, every day, there are pockets of rallies in different parts of the Philippines, and the call is transparency and accountability in government and justice, and, you know, make those people who are— who corrupted, who pocketed the money accountable, because that is an issue of justice. And I think the Filipino people deserve justice for all of these things. It's— and also, that's why it's important for Marcos Jr. to wake up, you know. You— the only way for him to, to soften the blow is actually for him to exit and, and step down gracefully and quietly. And also, just to point out, David, everyone right now from the Marcos side is attacking Senator Imee Marcos. I'm not, I'm not a friend of Senator Marcos, actually. I think she knows me to a certain extent because I write in Manila Times, probably. I don't know. But to be very frank, I commend Senator Imee Marcos for doing the most difficult, I think, um, task or the most difficult performance of her life as, as a politician, as, as a sister, as a Filipino, and even as a, as a Marcos. Because it was not easy for her to divulge and to say almost everything that she knows about her brother being a drug dependent, detailing— she was so detailed about everything from, from they were young until now, just prove to the— just to ask her brother, we need to go home, you need to be okay, you need to be rehabilitated, you need to take care of your health. It was a sisterly love, but other people are distorting it. Like, they're saying that it's because Senator Aimee is trying to play politics or something. No, I don't think so.

No, you're right.

One thing that I need to share as well as my perspective, because for me, if I'm in her shoes, maybe I will do the same thing. But my God, I don't know know how I'm gonna face my family who will be fighting with me. The whole family will be fighting with you. You need to be very strong as a person to even face that. So for those people who are trying to, you know, color everything that, you know, she's making politics or she's playing politics, come on, give me a break. It's not an easy— and isn't— it was not easy, that's one thing I can tell you. But I commend her. She chose the country over family, I think.

And I think she chose her brother over everything because, um, you know, it's of course, yeah, no, I had a chance, I had a chance to read the stuff. It didn't strike me as someone who will be opportunistic politically speaking. She's not, uh, she's basically, uh, to me, the way I understood it, and if I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but the way I understood it, Anna, is that her love for the Philippines from sort of, uh, and, and her duties as a politician, as a senator, that forced her to side with what's right for the Filipino people. Because those senators are representatives of the Filipino people, and Filipino people deserve better living conditions. That's what she was saying.

People, David, deserve the truth about the president. If he is really a drug addict or not. Because, you know, the issue of the drug dependency of the president is not new. Actually, to be very frank with you, it's not new. There's a lot of people, even you, you know this from the very start. You know this, we've been talking about this. I know this very well, even 2 years ago. I know already. But, you know, that's what I'm saying, I'm an academic. I cannot just say things, or I'm a person who always tried to think if what I'm gonna do would, you know, it has to be backed up with something credible. And, and, you know, things like that, you cannot just say that even if you know personally, you know. But, you know, this is not just— this is not something new. It has been there. There was a video that was circulating all throughout social media 2— 1 year and a half ago, and they even accused the people who actually put this in, in, in, in, in social media that the video was AI. It was not, actually. So, you know, But now it's clear, it's really important for Senator. It was really a very— it's like the moral courage was there when Senator Aimee stood in front of millions of people, in front of the world, to say that, you know, my brother is actually drug dependent. And it's a confirmation, but it's not new. Who said that it's new? It's not. But the thing here is like this: what is the importance of that confession coming from Senator Aimee? The importance of that is it is an evidence, David, because it's a personal knowledge. She is the sister, and the sister has been with him since they were young. They're really little, you know, children. They already are teenagers. They know each other. They— it's, it's, it's an evidence precisely because that's a personal knowledge from a family member. So that is the importance, I think, of Senator Imee's confession two nights ago, and that's very important. When you talk about the presidency. Because there are two things that people should understand: there is the person, BBM, and there's the office of the president. The office of the president is a sacred office. It's a, it's a public trust office, you know, it's a sacred one. You have to preserve the, the office of the president, that it will not be tainted forever, that its credibility will not be tainted forever. So So it's really but necessary for him to step down if he really has some kind of, you know, some kind of patriotism in him, just for the sake of the country, for the sake of the country and for the sake of the office of the president. Because it's a sacred office. It's not just a joke, you know. You just don't sit down as president and you just make joke, joke and do this and that without any accountability. Of course not, right?

Oh, I'm, I'm aware that some inside the Philippines, even within the political elites that she— they are, you know, accusing her as being almost like an evil person. Yeah, making things up. And I know that also the administration is gonna be pushing back. They already pushed back by saying, well, wait a minute, she is estranged sister, sort of, uh, and that's why she's just recycling what has been proven what has been disapproved, and that's not true. That is not true. So I know it's going to be a pushback from within the establishment. Yeah, they're trying. Now my question, Anna, is especially now for the public discontent, and, and again, let me quickly share the pictures here just with our audience, with the, our community here, because I'm going to ask you a question pertaining to this. How do you see Or let me rephrase this: will these demonstrations or protests sort of result in the desirable outcome? In other words, will this have an effect and push for Marcos to accept and resign and leave office for someone else to lead the country?

To be very frank and honest with you, I cannot say for certainty. Really, I don't— of course, because from the way I looked at the situation, especially on the part of BBM and his family, you know, immediate family and people around him, and I think also our AFP chief, the chief, the head of AFP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, it seems still supporting, it's not withdrawing support. So I think, I'm not sure how things will be Of course, it's desirable for him to step down so that the country can move on, can heal, and we can deal with problems with the new— and there would be a peaceful transition to the next person in line and the next official in line, which is the vice president. Um, and it's constitutional. Come on, for God's sake, because many people— it's like this, I just want to highlight this as well in this discussion— many people in the country they're— they, they would suck up the massive corruption in government under BBM. They would suck up— suck it up that BBM is a drug addict just because they don't like Sara Duterte. That is so disgusting. That is really like a distorted logic. It's not about Sara. This is not about Sara. This is about the Constitution. It just so happened that Sara is the vice president. What can you do? She is elected and her mandate is more than BBM's mandate because her vote is 32 million during in last 2022, and BBM is only— it's 31. So if you look at the margin, there's 1 million, you know, has an advantage of 1 million in terms of mandate. So come on, give me a break. And it's just so happy that she's the vice president with all of this chaos. And it's in the Constitution, whether you like her or not, whether he's— she's your friend or not, it's the Constitution that says that she is the constitutional successor. This is not about our political preference. This is not about our personal preference. That is what the Constitution mandates. So please, my God, this is for the country. So because many people right now are saying they will suck it up having a massive corruption government with all of this problem with BBM, um, as long as it's not Sara, come on, give me a break. I mean, that is so distorted kind of perspective and logic as far as I'm concerned. But on the other hand, when you talk about desirable outcome. As a Filipino, to be very honest with you, David, I really want— I really hope that there would be, um, a desirable outcome. And I think the desirable outcome, as far as I'm concerned, is to have a peaceful transition and a change of leadership. Not because of anything, just— but one important thing, for the country to be able to have a breathing space to address the many issues that is we're facing at the moment, the economy, our foreign policy, you know, our situation in the BARM, because in the BARM situation also in Mindanao, there's a lot going on in there and it needs some kind of solution. And I've been talking to some of my Muslim friends, our Muslim brothers and sisters in BARM, and there's a lot of problem going on. And also we have, um, of course you have the massive corruption in government government, that I don't know how— if in any case, let us say the vice president assumed presidency, there's a peaceful transition, it's a difficult position for her, to be very frank. No one, actually no one should even—

it's a hard—

it's really hard for Sara. I mean, for the VP, it would be very difficult situation. She will inherit all of this problem, all the mess.

Yeah, you're right.

Yeah, that is really the So why in the hell other people are saying like, you know, blah blah blah? No, of course not. It's a difficult position if she can hear it, everything, all the mess she has to solve it. And, and I feel like, I feel actually, I feel like if I'm in a position of Sarah, I will be very, you know, I will have double thoughts of assuming it because there's so many problems, to be frank. But what can she do? She is the next in line, so that's her.

It's the Constitution. Is the Constitution that's required.

Yes, Sarah doesn't also have a choice even if she doesn't like, because she is the president.

She's gonna have to put her emotions aside and lead, and lead the country to a better situation. I believe, Anna, I believe between you and I, and, and you and I, we talked, you know, and I don't know Sarah because I know her as a vice president, no more, no less, uh, but I believe deep down she will do good for the Filipino people. That's, that's how I sense about her, you know. I read up on her, I read up on her background, uh, her work ethics as a lawyer and so forth. I did my own homework about her because that's usually what I've been doing for the last few years. I have to read on leaders to understand. When I was in the government, it was a different story. We were dealing with with, with, but my sense about her, that if she, if, if, if Marcos Jr. steps down and she resumes the presidency because the Constitution requires that, I believe she will be, she will do good for the Philippines.

Yeah, she has her credentials. You know, she was a very good mayor in Davao City. She's a lawyer. And I think one thing I think about Sara that I really to be very frank. I mean, I'm not a friend of Sara, or I'm like an apologist of Sara. No, I don't think so. I never met her in person, to be very frank. I just see her in media and, you know, reports. Is one thing I like about her, she knows— she is from the grassroots.

She knows, she understands the problems.

She understands the problem. Yes, yes, Filipinos. She understands. She's not from the elites. She understands the psyche of the Filipino on the ground. And that is very important. If you're a leader, you cannot lead the people if you don't understand them, understand their needs. You don't know their real situation on the ground. You are detached from the reality. If you, if you, if you, if you don't have that connection with the people, you will not be an effective leader. And I think Sarah has that connection with the Filipino people, especially the people on the ground. She understands how they think, what are their needs. And I'm not saying she's perfect, but I think she has also— yeah, yeah, nobody is. But I think, um, she, she is capable of, of, of bringing what is needed at the moment for the Philippines. But of course, she, she would need the right people around her. Of course, it's always like that. A leader is just one person. You need to have a team for you to be able to carry out and, you know, address all the problems of government. And she will face a lot of problems. It's a mess. It's, it's really a mess. So for me, in terms of what you asked me, if there would be a favorable outcome of the massive demonstration that happened 2 to 3 days ago, and also the packet of demonstration that's going on right now from in different places in the Philippines, there would be an upcoming— I don't know who will be the organizer of this or who are they— November 30. And even now there are still rally. I think there are still rally in EDSA, in the— in EDSA Shrine, in, in one part of Manila, and you can see it in being covered by news. And, and I, I— my, my hope for my country— I'm a Filipino— is just, you know, to, to have— to— for, for it to get, get— for it to have, um, you know, recalibration of everything that's going on. To have political instability— uh, political stability rather. And then if in any case the transition should be peaceful, um, when the new leadership would be in power, they should focus on work and do the work already, you know, because it needed— because my God, David, we will be the chair of ASEAN next year. We are the chairman of ASEAN in 2026. 6, and now it's November. December, you don't do work because people are happy with Christmas holidays, holidays. And you have January 2026. And I think Marcos Jr. already had a grand event in Manila yesterday about, about, you know, saying that, you know, we are the chair of ASEAN. But look at this, look at the country, it's a political— it's a mess. So how are you gonna present yourself in the international community with your ASEAN counterparts when your house is in, is in, is this, is in, is in, in a chaotic state, you know. So for me, my wish is let's not make it difficult for the country and for the Filipino people. Let's make it easy for everyone. And for me, I hope Marcos Jr. would have that wisdom that, you know, and even the whole family, the Marcos family, will help him understand the gravity of the situation for him to step down. Gracefully, and then for, for the next person in line to assume and to transition, and for the next person to deal with the mess, solve the mess before, before we actively face the world as the chair of ASEAN next year. My God.

Well, Anna, here's the thing: you're gonna have to lend a helping hand to the next administration. Administration. You're gonna have to play a role into— hey, that's the way I see it, you know. You got the knowledge, you got the understanding of what the structural problems are, and I am sure you do have solutions. And you're gonna have to lend a helping hand to the next administration, assuming, uh, he accepts the demand of the people and resign. So if Sarah— when Sarah takes over hopefully they can reach out to you and you can, uh, I don't know. I know your schedule is busy. I know you're doing PhD, but at the same time, I'm, I'm sure you are determined enough to work it out where you can lend a helping hand for the sake of the Philippines.

I'm a Filipino. I'm, I'm always, um, yeah, I love my country and I don't want to see my country in a mess. Because it's not only for me as a Filipino or for people of the same age with me or same generation, you know. I'm worried for my kids. You know that I have kids. Like, oh my God, they're still young and they would inherit. What will happen to the Philippines if we cannot survive this crisis? My kids will inherit what? My God, I don't— I cannot imagine, David. Like, now it's a mess. Our economy is struggling, going down. And then what if we cannot— we cannot solve this, we cannot transition?, um, to a better— to, to have a change of government? What will happen to my kids in 20 years' time with the Philippines going, you know?

I don't know, really. Is legitimate concern. It's a legitimate concern.

I'm getting— I'm not saying I'm old, but of course we are all going to get old, you know.

Of course.

But what I'm saying, and then our children were— will, will grow and they will be young adults They will seek for jobs. They will have their own family. If your country is, is doomed, what will happen to them?

That's true.

So that's, that's also my concern as a mom. And I am a mother, so I— my concern is my— the future of my children. And I think the future of my children is connected to my country's future as well. It's not detached. It's all connected. So I— that's why I'm very passionate about about writing political, analyzing our, the political events in my country, trying to contribute as much as I can with our economy. And, you know, trying to, in my writings, offering some kind of perspective and solution because it is connected to the future of my children. And we cannot choose another country. It just so happened that we were born Filipinos, you know. There's no option. If you go to another country, it would be difficult. World because you're not— it's, it's a different thing. You— the culture, the language, the, you know, Filipinos like to sing, dance, and, you know, very easy, good lucky people, very lively. Yeah, lively. And we like, we enjoy food, we enjoy going out, and like, we just stay in somewhere and we talk a lot, gossip about many people, you know. This is something that I enjoy a lot as a Filipino, really.

I met Filipino people in the Middle East when I used to travel back then, and some of them were working at the embassy, US Embassy. What a wonderful people. Very, very—

yeah, I mean, we have our own problems, but as a people, we're very peaceful. We would like to have fun in a nice way. We drink, yeah, we sing, we dance, wherever. We're known for this.

That's the beauty of it. So I want to move to the last segment of our conversation here. And tie it to a foreign policy matter. But before I'll get into this, I want to bring back a point you mentioned earlier about the addiction to drugs and how it will impair an individual— doesn't matter president or not— his or her judgments. And in the case of a president, it's even more concerning because the future of a country depends on that president to have a sound judgment. And yes, and the reason I'm bringing this up, because I want to tie it to the recent statements by the Japanese Prime Minister regarding China. Because if those who may say, well, Philippines has nothing to do with all this, they are mistaken. They are mistaken. First of all, how do you categorize this, the statements by Sanae Takashi regarding the provocation of China. Why do you think she did that?

I don't— I actually reviewed the news about this issue, and it seems that it is like a statement coming from the new PM of Japan, which is very provocative as far as China is concerned, because it talks about the red line of China, David. And the red line of China is Taiwan. And one thing though that we have— I— it— for me, my impression is it was uncalled for for a PM, for a new PM to say these things. And also it creates a lot of tension in the region, especially between Japan and China. And I don't understand why you would interfere in something that you know already is a red line. And on the other hand, it's but known in the international community that Taiwan issue is a domestic affair of China or internal affair of China. And also, look, the relationship between Japan, diplomatic relationship between Japan and China, and in the same way with other countries, like for example China-Philippine relation, United States-Philippine relation, in the same manner, it's is based on the One China principle or One China policy. And the One China policy basically states that Taiwan is an internal affair of China and Taiwan is part of China. So to state certain things like this, like she said that, you know, if in any case China will, let us say, quote unquote, take over Taiwan, Japan will be will be forced to respond. And when you say respond, it's not even diplomatically, like a protest diplomatically, it's military. So I, I said, why do you have to do this as the PM? What's the reason for this? But of course, we know geopolitically speaking that there are reasons to this. You and I would, would know first and foremost, um, Japan. And, and it has an implication on the Philippines, and Filipinos should should not take this lightly, I think, because this has something to do with— well, it's connected, David, to what you call US strategy. Yeah, the US geopolitical strategy, or what you call Indo-Pacific strategy, in many ways. Because now, with that kind of statement coming from PM, the new PM of of Japan, it seems like Japan is now the frontline. Japan is positioning like it is the frontline now of US Indo-Pacific strategy and containment strategy against China, which is on our side because we are to a certain extent also the frontline of this. But now it's Japan positioning itself like, "I am the frontline." And one thing that we don't— we we should not forget, Japan and the United States are quite a military ally in the same manner that the Philippines is a military ally of the United States. So what— and also, if you really look at Japan in terms of its post-war constitution, especially Article 9, which basically states that it renounces war and prohibits the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes, Japan— before, Japan was very ambiguous when you talk about these things, but now it seems like, you know, it's, it's out there that, you know, if in any case there's something happened in the Taiwan Strait, we will be part of it and we will respond, um, militarily speaking. So it, it's somewhat like contradicts the very essence of Article 1, because Article 1, David, if you, if you really look at Article 1, it only that in extreme situation the so-called collective defense will be invoked. But this is not an extreme situation, you know, because this is an issue of Taiwan, and Taiwan is supposed to be an issue of China. It's not supposed to be—

yeah, yeah.

So this is—

yeah, it is an internal matter for China. So that, that, that sort of, uh, begs the question of why will Japan get involved in an internal matter of a sovereign state.

Yeah. And also, David, look, it signals Japan might strike. It signals that Japan is actually— if you really look at it from a technical point of view, it's like a preemptive intervention or preemptive war positioning for Japan to say these things, for the PM to say these things. And another thing is it violates the UN Charter because the UN Charter prohibits interference in the internal affairs of other countries. It's really— it violates Japanese constitutional tradition. And also it makes the region tension-driven at the moment because countries like mine, ASEAN, will be, you know, we will be thinking, so now what? We are— we have good relation with Japan, we're very good having good relation with China, but with all of this hawkish kind of statement coming from the new PM of Japan. So what is this all about? But basically, for me, one, one way of interpreting this as well with this new— with this kind of statement is we need to remember that this new PM, how do you pronounce his name? Takayoshi.

Oh, Sunny Takayoshi.

Takayoshi is an ultra-nationalist hawkish—

oh, she is, and she is a Chinese hawk. She's a Chinese hawk. You know her— you know who her mentor was?

No.

Her mentor was none other than Shinzo Abe. And if you know Shinzo Abe history with China, it will put the two and two together and figure that's why she is hawkish. I believe— and please correct me, Anna, if I'm wrong— I believe that the US has forced her, pushed her behind the scenes to be provocative, to, uh, to, to provoke China in that manner. And that is where my concern— this is where my concern for the Philippines, because if the Philippines think they will not be dragged into this conflict, they are mistaken. That's where my concern about the Philippines.

Uh, that's the same with you. I don't believe that this PM just says certain things without the without the push coming from the United States. I think that there, you know, this is some kind of a strategy also on the part of the United States positioning Japan as the front line now. But how it's connected to our country, we, we need to remember that, um, the Philippines is also a military ally of the United States, and whatever these countries would do in, in East Asia, uh, in East Sea, because we have the South China Sea and there's also the, yeah, the conflict in the East China Sea part, which is the Senkaku Island and, and the Taiwan Strait. All of these are connected geopolitically speaking. So on my side, I'm like thinking, um, maybe the universe is really good. Maybe, you know, I am a Christian, so maybe I'm thinking, looking at all the situations geopolitically speaking, I was thinking earlier like maybe God is good or the universe is good for the Philippines because right now there is really a cloud glamour for, for the Filipinos to change leadership and for BBM to step down? Why is it important even in relation to this issue, in relation to geopolitics, in relation to this new pronouncement of, of the, of Takayashi? It's, you know what, it's precisely because our foreign policy is really leaning to the United States. Look at the country at the moment, it's being militarized by the United States. You have the Typhon missile system deployed. You have the EDCA bases all over the country facing Taiwan and facing the South China Sea. So, and our foreign policy is secure. There's so much securitization of our foreign policy and militarization. And I really hope if there's a change of leadership, it would be recalibrated to a better one, you know, to make it more neutral, to make it more friendly to the neighbors, even China, and to make it balanced. And to make it not necessarily you be in the front line of all these geopolitical conflict among superpowers, but you will be more like a friend to everyone, you know. Yeah, this is, I think, a window of opportunity for the Philippines if there's a change in leadership in a matter of time to, to calibrate our foreign policy that we will not be used as a front line to whatever kind of eventuality that may happen in Taiwan, may it be now or in the few— in the coming years, because that is not to our advantage. So that's why when I was reviewing this issue news, and also of all of these things, I was like thinking, oh Lord, I said, oh my God, this is a window of opportunity for us to save our country also, geopolitically speaking, because there would be a window of opportunity for— if let us say Sarah assumes office, she can actually look at the foreign policy, try to navigate it in a way that we will not be in the front line of of anything that happens in the region, and that we will have a balanced relationship with China and the United States, and we will be more closer to ASEAN, and we will avoid diplomatic messaging which is confusing for China and the regional countries, and we will avoid this kind of speeches or this kind of statement coming from the new PM. Because, you know, sometimes BBM is also doing the same thing. Did you know that in the ASEAN Summit, BBM, um, lambasted China in the last ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur? And I don't understand why he did that when in fact in ASEAN the values is not confrontational. ASEAN states, uh, the common, uh, it's like an unwritten rule or, uh, that ASEAN member states, when you are like in an ASEAN Summit, as much as possible, you will be— not necessarily that you don't have a stand, but you have— you should not be confrontational, and you should try to, you know, tame your statement into something that is not necessarily like you compromise your stand, but you also don't antagonize your partners like China. Oh my God, BBM delivered lambasting China! So you see, if we will have the same— if he is in office still until what? And you have a PM who is very— is China hook, uh, Chinese or China hookish or very hookish against China. Oh my God, look, David, that's a problem. Yeah, in, in Pacific. Oh my God.

And this is where, this is where I think the— some in Philippines inside the administration, you will think they will learn from history given what Philippines has suffered over the years. So any conflict hypothetically between— and, and Philippines gonna pay the price as well, even though I, you know, in, in my opinion, that, uh, it will be very devastating for Japan.

Yes.

If they ever engage with Chinese military. I hope it will never get to that. I don't think so, it will ever get to that. But for what the US is doing behind the scenes, because I'm sure I, I asked recently, a few, few weeks ago, I asked someone about what's going on with the Suge Bay in Philippines, the developments. Yeah, I asked, I said, well, there is some work going on behind closed doors. We're trying to reopen the base and, and all that stuff. And I said, what will that be for?

And one thing, David, it was actually, um, um, published in Taiwan News and in Chinese, but of course I have so many Chinese friends who can translate for me. I even— I can read it to a certain extent, you know. Um, the vice president of Taiwan went to Subic out of the blue, and it was like news blackout. But of course we have our sources, you know, we have our friends. So I said, why in Subic? Why there's such a thing? And there's an escalation of this Taiwan thing. I said, oh my God, my country should not interfere in this business because that is a red line of China. And China— between China and the Philippines, my God. Come on, I'm not kidding. It's not about the, the romantic thing of Jai, of David and Goliath, because there's some people are romanticizing this like, no, no, this is reality. No, this is not like that. Oh my God, it's not like this. Yeah, this is, this is real life situation, realistic assessment, you know. So that's why I'm, I'm really happy and I think I think the universe is opening a space for the Philippines to even recalibrate its foreign policy, given the recent statement of PM. Because, you know, if there would be a change of leadership, I think there's also an opening and a window for us to recalibrate our foreign policy, that it will not be an extension of Washington and the Indo-Pacific strategy of Washington against China, which is very much obvious, its containment policy. Democracy.

So which is not gonna work. It won't work anyway. So yeah, yeah. Well, I want to give you a last word, Anna, before I let you go, as to where do you see this is headed with this massive now demonstrations from the Filipino people asking for the, uh, Marcos, uh, the president, president of the Philippines, Marcos, to step down. Uh, how do you see this moving forward, let's say the next few weeks, few months, or even before the end of the year? I'll give you a last word here.

For me too, on my side, I would like to make a call to our President BBM that, you know, it's futile to fight it out. And also resignation is not an act as if like, you know, it's like an act act of that you have to be, uh, how do you call that, it's not a shameful for me. I don't know other people, but for me it's not a shameful act. Actually, for me, if he gonna step down and he do it the soonest, because the soonest it, the soonest all of this comes down and the soonest the transition happened, it's bet, it's the better for the Philippines, to be very frank. Let's not make it difficult for the country that will, you know, we will have a lot of problem more to to fix in a matter of time. So for me, resignation or stepping down is not, is not a shameful act. Actually, for me, it's the highest form— as far as BBM is concerned, it's the highest form of patriotism, to be very honest, because he chose the country, you know. If he, if he— let us say he would do this tomorrow, I think this is the highest form of nationalistic act because you choose the country over yourself, over your family. And you let the country heal, you let the country have a breathing space to recover and for the country to have somewhat political stability. And then, you know, for the next administration to take over and see what they can do, you know, to have a space like that. And this is also good for the Filipino people because, to be very frank, David, for— I mean, to the president, what would you do? I mean, like, your credibility is already zero. Integrity is also zero. Political legitimacy is almost at the bottom, and political credibility and political capital is already at the bottom as well, like almost zero. And also your co— um, the political coalition, the people around him, the politicians around him and his— and her— and his allies in politics are actually in shambles. They are also blaming each other and trying to survive because all of them are some kind implicated in the massive— in almost all of his friends in the, in his political circles, and even, um, members of his government are implicated in this massive corruption in government. So what is the— I mean, it's futile for him to fight it out. So for me, I would make a call to our president, you know, try to choose the country and try to have a graceful exit that it will not be chaotic. And it— because the country suffers, the people suffer, and the whole world is looking at us. We're in the magnifying glass and the world is looking at the Philippines. My God, the Philippines again! It's like this. If I am a foreigner, my reaction is like this. Oh my God, the Philippines again! Again! Oh my God, 1986, again and again! How come the Philippines are like this? It's like this when in fact Filipinos are intelligent people, very smart. You know, so this is really the case. So for me, it's good to have a graceful exit. And, and for me, for the, the Filipino people, should only— you should only think of one thing: honor the Constitution. The Constitution is non-negotiable. That's the basic law of the land. And the Filipino people should also be vigilant. They need to clamor for change. They need to clamor for transparency and accountability. They need to own this because this is your country. This is our country. Who will fight for the Philippines except the Filipinos? Come on, give me a break, right? For me, this is a collective effort. This is not one person's effort. This is collective effort of the whole Philippines. And I really hope— I really, I, I just wish for my country to have to, to, to rise up from all of this crisis and for us to have a better life. Because at the end of the day, as I human being, you just want to have a better life, a better, you know, standard of living that you can, you can eat 3 times a day, you can a little of luxury, and then your children can go to school, you have food on the table. And I think this is basic things, are these are the things that all Filipino wants. And you see your country not going down but going up at least. And we will not be the tail end in ASEAN because right now Vietnam already surpassed us. And I'm afraid that Cambodia will surpass us if we don't resolve this crisis. I, I'm really cannot accept it, but I'm— well, what can I do? I've been to Cambodia, David Oualaalou, just a month ago, and oh my God, amazing. That country is really serious in trying to be like, um, a developed country, you know, and, and have prosperity. And I, I was so frustrated when I see— when I was in Cambodia and looking at my country, oh my God, the political instability, the the chaos and everything. So, oh, and like, I was like, oh shit, oh my God, I really don't want this, you know? Like, yeah, in the ranking, I had a bus. Oh my God, I said, no, no, no, no, cannot be, cannot be, cannot be. So it's hard, it's hard for someone like me who travels in different countries and I see all of these things. It's very hard. So I really hope, and God willing, that BBM will have, and the whole family of the Mark of Marcus will help him decide and pray for him to choose the right thing and to decide on the right thing. And the whole family, you know, I really hope so. I really hope so. I hope the Filipino people also will pray for our country and will fight for our country. It's very important.

Can you please say a word to them in Filipino language in case they are my listeners?

Kailangan po natin ipaglabang ating bayan, kailangan po natin makaroon ng justicia, ipagdesalpu din natin ang ating bayan, at champre ang ating pangulong ayon. Kasi naiintindihan ko why bakit sila nakikling to power. I understand that, but again, it's just a matter of time. So wakayong bibitao, tuloy ang laban para sa ating minamahal na inang bayan. Rahmatullah.

Well, on that note, Anna, I can't thank you enough. On behalf of the entire community, we say thank you so much for giving us, uh, sharing with us your knowledge, carving out time for us. I know how busy you are, and I mean it when I say thank you so much for always having, having you here on A Treat. It's, it's a treat for the community. They were— as a matter of fact, I'm gonna share this with You know that some people were waiting for you since last night. Oh yeah, I checked and there were, there were 4 people waiting. Just to show you, uh, so we are very, very grateful to you for this and I look forward to seeing you next time.

Thank you, David. You know how much I appreciate you as my friend, a really good friend, and I'm happy to have you as a friend. And thank you so much to, to everyone who watch and to everyone who will be watching this. Thank you so much. Mabuhay po ang Pilipinas! Good night and God bless to everyone. Thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you.

My pleasure. So, so wait for me and I'll talk with you privately here. Oh, ah, guys, I hope you enjoyed listening to, to Professor Anna Malandak. She's a wealth of information and, and it's always a treat to have her here. And, and I was very, very grateful that I know how busy she is, so I was kind kind of her to really carve out time for us here. So I want to say thank you to FU, thank you so much for your Super Sticker and your continued generosity. As I said last time, you got two Super Stickers from you. So as I mentioned last time, you've, you've been an avid supporter of the channel. I'm very grateful to you, and I say thank you so much for your continued support. So to all of you, I look forward to seeing you you, uh, in, uh, at 12:30 for my conversation on the other channel, Geopolitics and Money. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, evening, whatever part of the world. As always, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, bye-bye.