The Philippines: Time for Marcos Jr. to Step Down? Conversation w/Prof. Anna Malindog-Uy

All right, hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Excited to be with you as always. Uh, first of all, uh, I hope you had a Merry Christmas for those who celebrate Christmas. So I'm very, very excited to be with you. Uh, I got an interesting topic and I have a great guest. You guys heard from her before. Uh, she's Professor, uh, uh, uh, Hold on, let me put this up. Professor Anna Malindog, she's a PhD candidate, so we're gonna be addressing some really key issues and topics that the media, I believe, not only here in the US but in Philippines as well, are kind of keeping a lid on. So today Anna's gonna really uncover those kind of topics for us and provide the answer to the key questions that we need. So let me bring her in right away and we start, because— hi, Anna!

Hi, David! Thank you so much for inviting me again.

Of course, you are most welcome anytime. So the platform is yours here. So, and Merry Christmas to you and your family and your loved ones. So, all right, let's get into our topic here. I would like us to talk first of all I want to start with where the political conditions in Philippines are as of today, given what just transpired the last week or so. Where things are in Philippines?

Yeah, um, before anything else, I would like to say Merry Christmas in advance, Happy New Year to everyone. I'm happy to be back in your program, David, and thank you so much for inviting me again. Well, now it's a little bit, you know, I mean tensions are quite de-escalated, I think, a little bit, and cooling off precisely because of the holiday season. As you can see, in the Philippines, Christmas and New Year is like a big thing for us. Family gets together, we have so many parties all around. So in a way, the tension and the political tension between different political actors in my country are a little bit downgraded and cooled to a greater extent. But still, as you can see, probably in the next coming days, it would be very interesting, especially the second week of January, because from what I know, there is a big protest rally that will be staged by one of the— one of the— I think the most— one of the most powerful— the most powerful religious groups, religious groups in the country. And that's what you call the INC. I think they would be staging a protest rally against the impeachment of the vice president, because as you can As you can see, there are 3 impeachment cases filed against the vice president as of the moment. So there are a lot of groups, even religious groups, who are against the impeachment of Inday Sara Duterte. So one of that would be the INC, and it will be around second week of January. However, there will also be, I think, from what I know, some kind of rally or demonstration in favor of the impeachment by some political groups or political party, and that would be again, um, within the second week of January. And I think another protest probably will be staged in against the impeachment. So it's like three different big protests, I think, that will happen in the, in the week to the third week of January. So this is a very critical moment in my country precisely because there will be a lot of issues that will be of course, um, brought up to the public. That will, you know, it will be brought up to the public, including in the impeachment against the vice president, probably the budget, the 2025 national budget, which many people and many, um, Filipinos, or even academics and intellectuals, and even some politicians would critique. They are now criticizing the, the 2025 national budget of the Philippines, and it seems that it's accordingly the most corrupt budget ever in the history of my country. So these are critical issues. And of course, the daily grind of Filipino people, like for example, the hard life, the increasing prices of basic commodities like electricity, transportation, um, even food and basic food, you know, this, these are the things that are really critical issues as well. And of course, the geopolitical issues that is going on, and we're kind of a hostage by the United States vis-à-vis China. So these are pretty much the same, um, quite the same issues the last few months, but I think it's more escalating in, in, in, in many ways. So the 2025 second week of January would be very exciting politically for the country, and I think many political observers from other countries will be looking at the Philippines because of these things.

Yeah. Well, as an outsider looking in, and you'll be in a better position than me to really assess this particular aspect of it. As an outsider looking in, I'm looking at this impeachment as a political sort of, what's the word I'm looking for, motivated. And correct me if I'm wrong, Anna, and please say so. Me if I'm wrong. I believe that this whole idea of the impeachment is to prevent the vice president from ever having the opportunity to be a president of Philippines, because that's what majority of Filipinos are wanting to have or see happen. Will I be wrong in this assessment?

I think you're correct. You're very correct in, in that regard. And I think this impeachment is politically motivated. It's a political harassment and some kind of political insinuated by the factions coming from the side of the current president, especially by the Speaker of the House, Martin Romualdez, which is the cousin of the president at the moment. So it's more politically motivated. I think it's more about trying to make it sure that she will not be able to run for the 2028 national election. As early as now, they want to destroy the vice president image in the public and even internationally speaking. But I would tell you all of this are political, um, harassments, and these are just political machinations of the other side. I mean, especially those people who would want to stay in power than necessary. So that's really the case, and I would agree with you, and you're totally correct on this as far as I'm—

yeah. Well, just for our viewers, especially my, uh, my viewers from the Philippines, I— because they've been asking me a lot of questions about when I'm gonna bring the Vice President for the interview. The, the opportunity is open. I'm still waiting to hear from her office, uh, just for you guys to know, the community, for you to know we didn't forget this. It's just, you know, it's protocol. You can't just call a Vice President and have her here. It doesn't work that way. So just for you guys to know where things are.

So hopefully if she, if she'd be open to an interview from an international interview, that would be be great. Um, at the moment, I think she's very busy. She's facing impeachment, of course, and there's a lot of attacks, and I think a lot of legal cases being filed against her. And this is really about political demolition. This is really a demolition job against her. And I think, on the other hand, it's also because of the fact that even until now, even until now, with all the political harassment, the demolition job being put forward against the vice president, you can see that in the latest Pulse Asia rating survey, in terms of political trust, in terms of public trust, in terms of— I think it's still the number— it's— she's still the number one. She's still higher than the president, higher than any other government official when you talk about public trust. So that, that is really— that says a lot, that despite everything, she's still number one. And I think she's still number one when you talk about the front runner for the 2028 presidential election of the country. So of course, you know, when, when you have— when you're the front runner, of course you're the one, the subject of almost all political intrigues and political attacks coming from your perceived opponents.

Yeah, you're absolutely correct. Well, I hope things work out because Filipino people, the average Filipino citizen, deserves better. That's, that's my opinion about all this. So let's move on into our— the key topics we're gonna be dealing with And this one, because I want you to break that story. I know it's been, uh, about a week and a half or two weeks, but I promised, uh, because I told the community I'm gonna wait till, uh, uh, Professor Anna Mann, that will be the one to break the story. This one has to do with the findings of the depleted uranium, which have sparked, uh, some sort of alarms inside the Philippines. We don't hear much about it. And I've been following on it. I contact some of my people to find out, and yes, indeed, there was some involvement. What is this all about, Anna, and why, and why military-grade uranium, depleted uranium, is in Philippines?

Yeah, that's a very good question, David, and I think that's the same question that I have in my mind until, until this time, because as you can see, um, the Bureau of— the National Bureau of Investigation, in partnership with The national— in partnership with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute in my— of my country, they kind of have a collaboration intercepting 100 kilograms of depleted uranium. And this is a military-grade uranium. The depleted uranium were identified to contain isotopes, specifically uranium-235 and uranium-238. Uranium-235 and 238, I think from what I know based on my readings, is some kind of, um, elements to when you want to have a nuclear bomb or a nuclear energy to a greater extent. But this one are depleted already, so it means— but they can be used to produce dirty bombs. So this 100 kilograms of uranium were intercepted in multiple cities., and one of that in Pasay, which is in Manila, the other one in Cagayan de Oro, and the other one in Cebu, by some families that until now we don't know what is really— there's no explanation, there's no characterization of those who were carrying this depleted uranium in the country. And, and until now, the investigation has not really made public why there is such a thing as military-grade uranium in the country. At the moment, there was no public disclosure. And I don't know what's— we actually, the public, we don't know what's going on really with the investigation. And so there are a lot of controversies surrounding this uranium, 100 kilograms of uranium, that, um, the public is kind of blind to it. And also it seems like it's being downgraded in media because right after the NBI, the National Bureau of Investigation, some kind of a press conference after that Nothing, no news anymore. Even the media is not even looking at this, in, in investigating this in, in a way deeply. And after that day, there's nothing more information. And one, the one thing though that also is a very curious is the, the, the interception of this uranium happened in October 28th, but the press conference only happened in December toward, I think, last 3rd week of December. So there's a gap, you know, and what happened between those times that there was no public information on, on this. So there are controversy. One of that would be how these radioactive materials— because these are radioactive materials— enter the country and how it was transported in multiple cities. And second, and, and second to that would be these are hazardous materials. It's It has an impact to the health of the people and at the same time environmental contamination. So these are specific issues that until now the public is not aware. There was no public information as to this regard. The Malacañang Palace, the president is so quiet about this. Even the Armed Forces of the Philippines is quiet. Concerned agencies are so quiet about these things that there's lack of transparency in terms of how the investigation is being conducted, what are the results of the investigation. And the other one is in terms of accountability. There's no such thing as accountability. No one is trying to account, or no one is trying to own up to this, because that's an issue of transport of a military-grade uranium. And you know, David, you're a security expert, that when you talk about military-grade, it cannot be transported by ordinary vessel. It can only be transported by a military vessel because it's a military-grade and because of its hazard dose. Material. So that is even the question right now, where it came from, where this 100 kilograms of uranium came from, the origin of it. And, and another thing that is playing and speculate, playing in the minds of Filipinos, and there are a lot of speculations about this issue, is there are two areas that they were discovered. Cebu, in Cebu you have the EDCA bases, one EDCA base or slash military base is located in Cebu, and the other one is in Cagayan de Oro. So now people are trying to speculate, saying that probably it has something to do with the US military bases that is in the country, and probably they're speculating it's the Americans who have— who transported this radioactive materials inside the country. But of course, these are speculations. We don't yet— because as of now, no public information as to the result of the investigation, and if the investigation investigation is still ongoing. And why is it only now? It was— it happened on October 28th. Why the public disclosure was only on third week of December? Yeah, there is really a gap. So this is like an issue that is being downplayed. The media is quiet about this, especially the mainstream media, quiet about this. There's nothing in, in the news. It was not really talked about. And even all security agency and concerned government Agency are so quiet about this. Even the president know nothing about this thing. No comment at all.

Well, it looks like the media is in cahoots with the government. So, but to my knowledge, is usually there is a division inside the Department of Energy, uh, which is off the books, believe it or not. It's budget, it's off the books, and usually it deals with this kind of stuff. Because here's the thing, Anna, right away when I found out about this was— my first question was, Philippines does not have uranium under its soil?

No, we don't.

This came from— yeah, that was—

and we don't have refinery of uranium, and also we don't have uranium in our soil. And one thing though, and also uranium is contained in a nuclear facilities or even in nuclear bombs. So the question is, who brought this kind of radioactive materials in my country? And who's responsible for it? The question is, in transporting, there were lapses in terms of control and oversight. That's one thing, and that should be the accountability of the current government. But it seems that the current government is so quiet. They are really downplaying the issue to the point that no information— it's like a blackout of information.

What is, uh, if we just to go with the question of what is the objective, what is the purpose of, in your opinion, if you are to think outside the box, Anna, what in your opinion you believe the objective of having the military-grade uranium in Philippines, what is it for?

Well, there's only one thing in my mind, it's nuclear weapons, really. Wow. Yeah, but, but even then, the question is Why, in my mind at the moment, the question is why do— why is it being downplayed, the issue, when in fact it's a national security concern? Probably because if we go deeper and we do investigation deeper than what is happening at the moment, that there's a blackout of information, is probably certain entity will be— maybe something will be uncovered, unearthed. That it will point out to some entity, which is probably a foreign entity in my country. So that, that's, that's just my, um, speculation at the moment because there's no— there's not much information from, from the government, from the NBI, and even from the media.

Yeah, very interesting. So that's— to me, it seems to be well coordinated because it's very concerning. And, uh, the, the more— what's even more problematic from what you stated as far as the, the, the, the transport of this radioactive material, so forth, that the Filipino people are not even aware of it.

Yeah, but David, as a security expert, can I ask you a question in this regard? As from what I know, um, radioactive materials, especially components for a nuclear weapon and even nuclear facility in terms of power plants, in terms of energy, these are highly regulated materials. That you— that one can— it cannot be transported from one country to the other that easy. So what, from, from your perspective, what do you think of— how do you see these issues that is happening in our country? Do you think it's really from inside? Because you know that the question right now also, David, is there's only one— there's 100 kilograms that was intercepted and discovered. However, the other question to this is Is this only 100 kilograms, or there are a lot— there are other— there are more than to it. There are more to 100 kilograms that are spread across the country, but we don't know, and we're not aware of this. That's even one— that's even the other question that until now there's no answer to it. It's like a million-dollar question that we're thinking, and we're trying to, to, to know the answer to these questions. There are two important questions. In this— on this issue. First is, where did it come from? Who brought it to our country? Because we don't have uranium in our country. We don't have capacity to refine uranium. And I don't think, as far as the Philippines is concerned, even our military, we have the capability of producing nuclear weapon. No, we don't have the capability. Second, we don't have nuclear power plant in my country thus far. None for the longest time. So that question is very important. Where did it come from? Who brought it to the country? And how it can be transported from one place to the other, which is 3 places so far, as far as the 100-kilogram uranium is concerned. So 3 places, and 2 are EDCA sites. 2, 2, 2 of these places have EDCA sites or military bases. Second is, um, why in the Philippines? Why it's in the Philippines? No, and, and the third even question that is very critical is You have this 100-kilogram uranium that was discovered, but other than the 100 kilograms, do you think there are more to it in terms of, you know, many, many, many— there's still many uranium in the country, but we don't know about it. It's not just 100 kilograms, probably more. Yeah, so that, that is even the third question that's very critical, that at the moment the investigation is saying nothing. And not answering all these basic fundamental questions.

Yeah, well, to answer your question as to how the transportation of something like this would happen, usually there is a unit within the bio— biological, nuclear, and so forth— within the military apparatus in the US that deals with those eventualities as far as if there is a nuclear disaster, if there is a biological attack, or if there is a transport of a military grade. Usually it's done by a high— by an entity that is well-funded, well-structured. And, uh, so to me it makes sense. And again, that's my, my opinion, uh, it had to be transported into the country through a third party.

Yes, I believe so.

And the second thing, Anna, which I argued a few months ago Uh, it's on a record, guys. You can go look the, the videos that I did before, and one of them I remember I talked about Philippines when Marcos came back from China. As soon as he took over power, he came— he— his first visit was to China, okay, to give lip service to China. And as soon as he flew back to Manila, guess who had the meeting with the next day? Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and a treaty was signed regarding the 9 bases, even though the Philippines and the US are saying, you know, it's only 5 bases. No, there were 9, to my knowledge. And why there were 9 but the Philippines and the US only declaring 5? Because that's when 4 bases like that would not be disclosed, and that's where such material could be brought in at first, then dispersed to whatever it needs to go. We've seen it before, we've done it before. Even for Iraq, we had to move some of military-grade uranium, believe it or not. Uh, so it's, it's from an outside force.

I would believe so, because there's only— and also one thing that you have to understand about my country, there's only one country that has a presence, a military presence in my country, both military weapons and troops in my country, and that's only the United States. And that's really there, and they have their all the bases and they have the troops and they have prepositioning of military assets under EDCA, under the agreement EDCA. So that, that's, that's even also the perception of many, um, political, um, opinion makers in my country. So there's a lot of speculation, but one of the most prominent speculation is This is related to the EDCA slash new US military bases that is located in Cebu and even located in Cagayan.

So yeah, well, I hope the— pardon me— I hope the really responsible people in, in Parliament in Philippines stand and do the right thing. Yes, because that's when they have to hold the president accountable. This is not about— it's about justice, it's about fairness. You have to hold a president accountable for something like this because an average Filipino person will not understand these dynamics. And if the government is in cahoots with the media by putting a lid on the information for people to be informed, then someone in the parliament will have to step forward and do the right thing. So anyway, yes, let's move on to our next topic, which pertains to all this. This one has to do with the Philippines. Now, the Philippines Army is looking for weapon systems and platforms with the capability of about 200 nautical miles. Here is my question, because to me it's not a laughable thing, but it's very concerning. Every country has the right to about 12 nautical miles according to international law. Anything within that range falls under the jurisdiction of the country. So the question becomes, is why will Philippines will be looking for a missile system from the United States, the THAAD system, for 200 nautical miles? What is this all about, Anna, in your opinion?

Yeah, but the thing— that's really an interesting question, and that's really an interesting statement coming from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Especially the Army, the AFP, saying that we are interested or we will be buying. That's kind of the inclination or the intention is we are interested, we will buy or we will acquire an intermediate missile system that is capable of 200 nautical miles within that range. And that's already beyond our territorial waters, I think. 200 nautical miles is already international waters. And the basic reason that they're trying to justify this is precisely because they want, quote unquote, to defend the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines with regards to, or with reference to, the South China Sea dispute. And I think they're trying, though they did not say anything about China, that it's, you know, But it's— they are saying that we would want to protect our Exclusive Economic Zone, especially in the West Philippine Sea, quote-unquote, the South China Sea dispute vis-à-vis China. Because there's only one country that is now very, you know, the current administration of Marcos Jr. is very adversarial in terms of relationship when you talk about the South China Sea, and that's really China. So it seems like we're trying to acquire a Typhoon missile system or a mid-range missile system with the capability of 200 nautical miles, precisely because we perceive that it's the, you know, the China is our aggressor, and we would want to protect the country and the exclusive economic zone against them. And we will be able to do that as a deterrence, or the deterrence capability, by acquiring those kind of missile or any kind of military upgrading. So I think that's, that's, that's really the intention, and I think that's really the rational behind the statement. And as of now, we, we already have it in, in, in the Philippines, and it's already deployed by the Americans in the northern part of the Philippines, in Lawak. There's already that Typhoon missile system, the mid-range, it's already there. But I think this is still quote-unquote within the, the, the smoke screen that it is American assets. So now we're saying, the current administration is saying that we would want to acquire, meaning we would want to buy to, to, to, to probably to justify the presence of the current, um, deployment of the Typhoon missile system in the northern part of the Philippines, and it's specifically in Luag. So I think that's, that's much more the kind of strategy they're, they're trying to play. I think they're trying to play with words here because there's already the presence of the Typhoon missile system in my country, but now of course there are Um, there are opposition to it, and we're saying— even I am opposed to it, and I'm saying that, you know, it should be removed by the Americans because it's supposed to be a temporary deployment during the Balikatan air exercises. It should not be, you know, and, and it's like we— there's no definite date when it was— it would be removed. So there are oppositions to it. So probably right now they're trying to play with words and saying that we would want to acquire that kind of capability And actually, it's already there, and they're just saying that I want— we want one to acquire by buying or looking for that kind of military capability. But the question, David, is, is it necessary for the Philippines to acquire this kind of system? Would it be legal in terms of compliance with international law? Second is, would it be good for the region Would, would the other countries in the, in the Asia-Pacific react to it? Of course, of course other countries will react. It could provoke an arms race, unnecessary arms race in, in the region, in the Asia-Pacific region, and even Southeast Asia. Second is it could escalate tension between the Philippines and China. Recently China made statement against this, and China is opposed to this. Really, and even Russia again is opposed to this, and other countries in ASEAN, I don't think they're happy because as far as ASEAN is concerned, it's supposed to be a demilitarized region. Yeah, that is really the objective of why you have the SOFAN, Zone of Peace and Stability, because ASEAN countries and ASEAN as a region, we would want it to be demilitarized. If you acquire this kind of missile system or Americans are deploying and prepositioning military assets weapons like this in my country, and we're part of ASEAN, we're part of Southeast Asia, then that concept of a demilitarized ASEAN region is not there anymore. And then what will happen? Other countries would also do the same. They will also acquire weapons of the same capability precisely because they would have that kind of perception that maybe it will be used against us by this country, so we need to protect ourselves. So It's not really a deterrence, it's an offensive strategy as far as I'm concerned. With this kind of moves from our current government, I'm being— well, the president is Marcos Jr., so this is really not— this is a step really, but that probably other people would say that it would capacitate our military, it will strengthen our military, but I don't see it as a positive one. Vis-à-vis the region, and in what's the implication of this with regard to other countries in the region. I don't think other people, other countries in the region, the broader Asia-Pacific region, will be very happy about this. This is like a prelude to a second, um, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. I think, no, this is some kind of a prelude to it, and I don't, I, I don't think this is good for the region. As a whole. I don't want my region to have the same kind of problem what's going on in Ukraine and what's going on even in Gaza and in the Middle East at the moment. I hope this Asia-Pacific region would be able to maintain its relative peace and stability. But with this kind of moves coming from the Philippines, I think it's provoking some kind of an escalation of tension, especially with China, because China just this, just I think yesterday China made statement against this pronouncement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, uh, that they would want to acquire that kind of military capability or missile system that has 200 nautical miles. That's beyond 12 nautical miles. So I don't know, what do you think of this, David? Do you think it's good for us? Do you think it's necessary given our limited budget? We have a very limited budget, we're deficit, we have, I mean, we have a lot of domestic problems when it comes to the economy, when it comes to finance. I mean, we even in for the 2025 national budget, we have zero for our, for our health insurance, public health insurance. Imagine that there's no budget for, for, for our public health insurance, and you would want to acquire— this is very expensive to maintain this kind of military asset Given our economy, given our financial capability, and which is not good, do you really think we can afford this? This is really an issue of what to prioritize. Would you prioritize this because you're being pressured by an external force or a foreign country or a superpower over what? Social welfare, that education, health, food necessities, all the basic goods that we need, all the basic necessities that Filipino needs, or would you want to acquire that kind of missile system that is so expensive and so hard to maintain, and you need a lot of financing to maintain it and even to acquire how you feed the missile for that system? You know, these are, these are realities that is going on. So I really hope that there will be a recalibration of this kind of policy because this is not a positive step. Step as far as the Philippines is concerned. The more we will be dragged into the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China, the more that we will be involved in this kind of competition by which a small country like ours— we should not get involved. We should have a neutral position, an independent foreign policy, and as much as possible be neutral among all this geopolitical maneuverings. But It seems that the current administration of Marcos Jr. don't understand geopolitics in that sense, or international relations for that matter. Instead of trying to, you know, fix its relationship with China, it's getting worse at the moment. So that is crazy. You cannot have— you know, in geopolitics, you're a security expert, you're a geopolitical expert, David Oualaalou. You cannot change the fact that our neighbor is China. Across time, even hundreds of years from now, thousands of years from now, unless there will be a tectonic, you know, movement of, of plates, you know, our neighbor will always be China. And if that is the case, you need to have good relation with your neighbors. You cannot have that adversarial relationship with some— with a neighbor like big as China and powerful as China. And we're just a very small country. With a lot of domestic problems, and, and we're— we are facing a lot of challenges as a country, even with our politics. So how come that they don't understand this, the current administration? And they're pushing more, pushing the country to the brink of a war or a brink of a catastrophe against major powers in, in the region and even in the world right now. So this is crazy.

Well, indeed, Anna, you brought in a good point as far as especially the cost of such system, because just for those— you guys in the community, I'm sure you know how these things work. When you sell a system like that, you sell with it, you sell the maintenance, spare parts, and all that. That's a long-term contract, and those are in the millions, if not billions of dollars. You know, it's not a small change. And, and you are right, the Philippines will be better served by using that money to rebuild its infrastructure, to improve on its education, healthcare, and so forth, and, and, and help average Filipino. I'm not talking about a handout here. I'm talking about creating the, the, uh, the, uh, the foundation on which the economy will sort of thrive. And if you have a neighbor like China, wouldn't it make more sense to reach out to them and say, hey, can you guys help us? You are richer than us and so forth, can you help us out? I'm sure China will help, there is no doubt. But if Philippines embark on these initiatives, uh, it's not gonna bode well for the Philippines. What the Filipino people needs to understand, and this is my message to them as an American looking outside in. We are not. We don't care for Philippines. We don't care defending the Philippines or any other country. What we care about is selling weapons. So to us, if there are more tensions, it's better for our— the, the, the military-industrial complex in the U.S. will make more money on that. And this is what the Philippine people needs to understand. And they have the right to pressure the leadership by reversing course because the leader is a representative of his or her own people. You don't represent your own interest. You put the welfare of people first before yours. And I think this takes us back, Anna, to the beginning. This is why I think they wanted to impeach Sara Duterte. I think this is why the push for this is to prevent her from becoming the president, because if she will be serving the people, not the elites in Philippines. I am a little familiar with the elites inside the Philippine political establishment. We used to deal with them in Washington behind closed doors and so forth. And you know, it's, it's about time. It's about time. The second thing is it's just my opinion on this, from a security perspective, for Philippines to acquire this system, both Typhoon and the THAAD, it's gonna push the region into instability.

Hmm.

Mark my word on it. We've seen it before, it will happen again. And especially when you look at into the right here on the map, on the South China Sea, all that region, China is not going to tolerate having those kind of systems being on the Filipino soil. Why? Because they are within reach to, uh, to— China's not going to allow it. The same arguments I can make about Taiwan. China will not allow the US to put in some sort of advanced systems there. So, so Philippine leadership needs to think, are we going to be used Or should we take stand and say, wait a minute, we care for our citizens? That's to me the way I see it. This leads me to my next question, Anna. And next question is, in your opinion, is Manila now pressured by the US to move forward with this? Is it a fait accompli? Is it a done deal? In your opinion?

In terms of public information, as in with regard to your question, and if it's really like publicly, you know, that the current government would say that they're under the strong influence or pressure from the United States, of course no one will say that. No one will say like, you know, where it's, it's the United States, of course. But from, from what we can see and from, from my perspective, as far as I'm concerned. And I think, as far as my observation of how our foreign policy and how the influence of the United States and the, the weight of the influence of the United States in my country at the moment under a Marcos Jr. presidency, yes, I think there are pressures coming from the United States. I think there's a huge influence of coming from the United States telling us that, you You need to capacitate yourself. You're our ally. You need to be strong militarily speaking so that you can be, you know, a good partner for us and you can, you know, help us in trying to counter and contain China in the Asia-Pacific region, because that is the strategic interest of the United States. Of course, the United States cannot have an ally that is so weak and cannot even, you know, have this kind of assets. Of course, they would want to capacitate us defensive, militarily speaking, in terms of weapons. But I don't believe that it's us who will acquire it, because to be honest with you, we don't have the money for it. I think it's more about the United States deploying these assets, these military assets, in our— in my country, and say, justifying it as if we're the one who would want to be— to have assets. Yeah, it's more about that. That's— there's deception in all of these things. That's what I can see, and that's what I think. So, but of course, in public, you need to say that, you know, our military would want to acquire— we will buy these weapons, we will have this, this, this, this. But all of this are actually in partnership with the United States. Really, we don't have much money for all of these things. We rely on the United States when you talk about military financing. It's them who are giving us money to buy weapons. But again, we buy weapons from them. So it's like crazy, you know. It's all— it's, as you see, it's them who benefits from this. It's, it's your economy, the military-industrial complex that earns a lot of money from all of these things. So it's, it's crazy for Filipinos not to see it, really. So yes, I would agree there are pressures, and I think the United States would want to capacitate the Philippines, militarily speaking, to continue its military buildup in the south, in Southeast Asia, using the Philippines. And all of this is against China. That is really the case. Why would they do that if they don't have an adversity in, in the Asia-Pacific region? There is one, and that's China. In, in Eastern Europe, it's Russia. In Europe, it was— it's Russia. It's Russia going on right now. In, in the Middle East, it's Iran. That's why Israel is capacitated, militarily speaking, being financed being given with all the weapons is precisely because it's against Iran. That's really the case. So in, in the Asia-Pacific region, we're the pawn and the proxy. And of course, we would— and it's, it's natural for the United States, or it's intentional for the United States, to provide it with this kind of military assets, especially a mid-range missile system, by which right now I'm telling you, China is really reacting And then Russia already have reacted about this, and I don't think Russia will take this sitting down as well. So the question is, why would my country be doing this? I, I don't see an enemy out of China. I don't see an enemy out of Russia. Filipinos, we don't have enemies. We don't have any— any— we, we are really a friendly country and we're a friendly people. So So I don't even understand why do you have to acquire this kind of very high-level military weapons when you don't have an external enemy. Our enemy is inside the country, really. It's inside. The longest insurgency is still there. It has to be resolved. This has to be addressed. And there's a lot of enemies in terms of the different challenges domestically that needs financing— infrastructure, Well, all of this, these are the things that needs to be prioritized if we want our country to develop, not like this kind of militarization that is happening in my country. But again, it's all about leadership. The current leadership is somewhat misguided in its foreign policy and its approach to China and approach to the, to the South China Sea, and it's misguided in, in trying to compromise our independence and sovereignty as a country. That's why they're allowing the United States to have, you know, strong presence, strong influence, and even up to the point that we are being dictated. Imagine, David, in the postmodern world, there is such a thing as a colonial state, and that's my country. That's really the truth. It's a semi-colonial— there's no physical subjugation, there's no physical control, but in terms of policy, we're being dictated what to do, especially when you talk about foreign policy. Our foreign policy is exactly a mirror image of the United States. It's really the same. It's just that the United States is a superpower. It has, you know, influence across the world. But we are in the— in our foreign policy, when it comes to the region, is mirror image of, of, of the United States. One thing that is— you can see it's being used to contain China and The US foreign policy is really towards that, containing and countering China's peaceful rise, and we're being used to it. And now the current foreign policy of Marcos Jr. is like that. So, but the bottom line question, David, is what will happen to my country? Do you really— I mean, is it really good for us?

No, no.

And if it's the United States, but it will never benefit us. The more we will have problem with China, the more our economy will be affected. Affected, really, in many, in many ways. Capital investment, Chinese investment not coming to the country. Tourism, no more, not much Chinese tourists coming to the country. Export of our goods, not anymore that attractive in the Chinese markets. These are— the impact of this to our economy is huge, and we cannot ignore China being the second largest economy economy. And in a matter of time, maybe 10 years, 20 years from now, would be the first largest economy. So how come that a small country like us would be like, you know, projecting ourselves as if we are powerful, but we're not? You know, it's not— it's, it's not— I'm saying the reality. It's not just— it's not because I don't love my country. No, you cannot love your country if you don't see the reality. The only way for your country to survive to grow and to develop is for you to see the reality and address the realities. And from there you can see what to do, where to go, and how to put your country in a, in a trajectory that's moving forward, not backward, and not back to the age-old of colonization. Because right now I feel like we're like a semi-colonial of the United States, of the United States still. And we've been colonized by United States for how long? Hundreds of years. And we never learn from history. That's also my contention when it comes to our fellow men, or, you know, Filipinos, fellow Filipinos, that we need to learn from our own history. And whatever we did, you know, the mistakes we had in that long history that we had with the United United States. I think we should rectify that by not doing it again or repeating those kind of mistakes. But that is the problem also with Filipinos. We need to wake up. Still, there's a lot, a big chunk of Filipinos who, who looked at the Americans or who look at the United States as the savior of the country, that without the United States we will not survive. That is a wrong perception, wrong way of thinking. As Filipinos, we need to stand stand on our own two feet and take hold of our fate as a country and as a people and move forward. And we— I believe Filipinos are intelligent people and we can do it. But the problem is that kind of mentality is still there, that colonial mentality, that we will only survive and we will only be able to move forward with that, with the United States backing us up in everything. And even the current president thinks that He has that kind of thinking too, really. He said before the Philippines cannot, um, cannot grow, cannot grow, or cannot be, um, a strong country without the backing of the United States. He said that in one of his speeches, and I think during the first time that he went to them, I think after he visited China, he went out— before he visited China, he went to the US. Yes, but it was not a state visit, it was just an official visit. And he spoke in one of— one in one— in a media, you know, in an event he spoke and he delivered a speech and he said that, you know, we need the United States for us to, you know, to be able to grow, to be able to develop as a country and blah blah blah. So I was like, what?

Oh my God, he came over to get his marching order.

Curbs. Yeah, that was the first visit.

It was to get the marching order. But on a serious point, uh, you, you brought in a good point as far as where the foreign policy, uh, in the Philippines are made. They are not made in Manila, they are made in Washington. Yeah, the same argument I will make about Australia.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

A lot of people do not know that Australia's decisions are not made in Canberra They are made in Washington. The same thing I would say about some countries in Europe like England, like Germany, like the Netherlands, like Spain, like Italy. All decisions are made in, uh, in, uh, uh, in, in Washington, not, uh— and speaking of China, while I'm thinking about it, uh, just for you guys to know also, and I'm gonna be addressing this later on with Carl's, uh uh, about the end on the weekends. China has already reacted to a decision that Biden signed, the Record of U.S. National Defense. Why is this important to understand? It's because this one is tied also to what the Philippines is going to be purchasing from the U.S. And the thing is, off the record, 800 $895 billion of the bill authorized in spending.

Wow.

Just, just take a step and think about that. Uh, $895 billion of the bill authorized in spending. And this is why China reacted to this, because the reason why— because we already announced that the threat is China, and we have to counter it by installing certain advanced systems in the likes of Philippines, the likes of South Korea, the likes of Japan, and soon to be Australia.

So, so this is, this is connected to everything. It is, it is. Earlier, yeah, indeed.

And this is where that problem for the Philippines, they needs to understand, by them embarking on purchasing this this systems or platforms from the US with the purpose of the 200 nautical miles, they're gonna be— they meaning Philippines— they're gonna be contributing to destabilizing their own country. Yes, not the US is going to do it for them, they're going to be doing it themselves. And I hope, I really hope someone will push back against, uh, President Marcos to kind of— you can't be doing this, you're dragging the country into a big hole now. Yes, this leads me to ask you, Anna, do you think Marcos Jr., president— I always like to give the title proper title— do you think Marcos Jr. is— President Marcos Jr. is fit to lead?

To be very frank with you, with everything that's going on in the country as of the moment, really, um, with all the allegations that's being thrown at the current administration— corruption, the allegation of drug use, the defective and very beholden and militarized foreign policy of the current administration, um, the, the, the corrupt 2025 national budget, the most corrupt according to many, um, 2025 national budget of the country. And, you know, um, I mean, he doesn't have a very good sense of how the economy should be, you know, managed to a greater extent. And, and the massive corruption is number one. I don't think so. I really don't. I don't think he is the leader that we need at this time, at this critical time of our, of our, of our history as country. I don't think so. I don't think he is fit to lead. Maybe he's a leader for a different purpose, but not necessarily the leader that we need at this time to lead the country to a more progressive situation or a more economic development, a country that is safe and peaceful, because that is actually exactly the opposite of what's going on in the country at the moment. I don't believe so. I really don't. I think, I think we need a change of leadership in, in my country, but as to how it will happen, that's something that I don't know at the moment. But I believe, I believe we need a change of leadership. There's no— because everything that's going on in my country, may it be foreign policy, may it be an issue of corruption, may it be an issue of the missile, the acquisition of the mid-range missile system, the control of the Americans in the country that is so heavy in terms of influence, in terms of the prepositioning military asset, militarizing the whole country by the United States. All of this is an issue of leadership, really. Everything comes from up going down, and the one who makes decision is the president. That's how powerful the presidency or the president in my country. And everything— take note of this, David David Oualaalou, the sole author of our foreign policy is the president. Of course, there are advisors along that, you know, there are people who would advise him and as to what to do and this and that, but at the end of the day, he's the only one who is the sole author of our foreign policy. So it's really up to him in terms of national— in terms of corruption. It's him who can actually mobilize the state, the state apparatus to control it, and who can actually kick out people who are corrupt. But he is not doing it, not if he is corrupted himself. Precisely the point, that, that is even the case of the matter. So that, that's very— so what I'm saying is that everything that is happening in the country, yeah, all the issues that's going on, it's an issue of leadership. So if you can see a country right now bleeding and facing a lot of challenges both externally, because we have a very problematic relationship with China, and even Russia is reacting. Our relationship with ASEAN— I don't think ASEAN countries are happy, happy with us. All of this boils down to one thing: it's the leader is probably not doing the right thing or making and doing the good decision as far as the Philippines is concerned, both domestically and externally speaking. So if you ask me if he is Bongbong Marcos is the leader that we need at this time, or he is really a capable leader given all of these things? I don't think so. So in a way, the question is, do we need a change of leadership? Yes, we do. But as to how it will happen, I don't know how it will happen, if it happens soon or if it, it, if it will happen, um, will we have to wait for another 3, more than 3 years more, um, before the 2028 presidential election? That, that's, that's actually the crucial questions at the moment because as you can see, David, there are a lot of clamor for his resignation. A lot of people are not happy. A lot of people are disgruntled. There are different people from different sectors are disgruntled. There are a lot of people, Filipinos, clamoring for his resignation. That they want him out and be replaced with someone who is— who Filipinos think can lead the country and who has really the heart of the interest of the country by heart, at heart. So there are a lot of this clamor out there. So that's why you have so many protests going on in the Philippines right now. So, you know, that, that's really the case. So for me, no, he is not fit to lead the country. He needs If he really has some kind of, some kind of conscience, you know, and some kind of— and he really understands the country, and, and if he really loves his country as a Filipino, then probably the best way for him is to step down. That's the graceful exit, really. But if not, then you will have a lot of political turmoil in the Philippines from now until 2028 national election. I, I don't even know if we will have a presidential election by 2028 if our constitution is changed, because that is one of their objectives, to change the constitution for them to be able to stay in power more beyond the 2020— beyond the supposedly 6 years term. So that is another challenge for Filipinos, and that's, that's in the horizon at the moment. So This is the critical— these are, there are, these are all critical issues, and we're like at a crossroad. At the— the Philippines is at the crossroad at the moment. Um, it's, it's up to the Filipinos to decide what do you really want for your country. Do you want to continue like this with that kind of leadership, or do you want to change and to, you know, to aspire for a better Philippines? Now, if you want a better Philippines, probably you should Filipinos should choose the right people in, in a very critical position like the presidency. Someone who is— who understands the world, someone who has a very good outlook, and I think someone who understands the really the needs of the people and what, what is good for the country and what's good for the Filipino people. But that is a challenge to the Filipino people. It's, it's really in their hands.

Hey guys, before I forget, if this is your first time here, make sure to subscribe to the channel and hit the notification button so you'll be notified every time I upload a new video or have an interview. So, uh, what this leads me to ask this last question here, uh, Anna, uh, why are we talking about the resignation aspects of it? I'm, uh, if I am again as an outsider looking in, I don't see Marcos doing that. I don't see him doing the right thing by stepping down because we won't want him to step down.

Because again, the Americans would not want that.

I agree, I agree with you on that.

But here's the thing, they need Marcos Jr. to stay in power, and Marcos Jr. needs the United States to back him up domestically and even internationally speaking. And the Americans, I think, or the United States, don't want to have another Duterte in the the presidency. That's also my thinking.

Yeah, and that was my next thing. If, if obviously, should this happen that he steps down, of course the vice president takes over.

No, of course.

In your opinion, Anna, is Sara Duterte qualified to be a president of the Philippines?

I think so. I, I would agree. Yes.

What will she do for the Filipino people, in your opinion?

For me, I don't know. I don't know really personally the vice president. No, but from, from what I know, that she has a very track— she has a, she has a very good track record as a mayor of Davao City. You can see Davao City as an example of her kind of leadership. And one thing that I like about Sara Duterte though is she is not corrupt. That's, that's a basic— for me, for a politician, that's one of the, one very important criteria for me, that a politician should never be a corrupt politician or corrupt person. She's not corrupt. She would work hard for the Filipino people, and I think she understands the, the, the, the grassroots, the, the locals, and not the elites, no, because she's not from the elites. I think she understands the grassroots, what are the needs of the people from the ground, and that I think is very important for any leader. A leader could only lead the people, if she understands or he understands the people in terms of what they need and how they live and the ground reality. If you don't understand the ground reality, you will never be an effective leader. That, that is my perception of a leader, really. So that's why someone like Marcos Jr. would not understand the realities on the ground because he never experience how to be part of the people on the ground. Yeah, so he, he is an elite. All throughout his life, he had a luxurious way of living. So I don't think he understands how it is to be hungry, how it is to work hard for you to be able to feed your family. I don't think he understands that. But a leader needs to know these things, for he— it's only way for you to know what kind of policies you will be able to put forward that will benefit really your people, especially those who are less fortunate. And in the Philippines, you can see we're like a pyramid. We have a very, um, 1% of our population, or probably less than 1%, are the elites and really wealthy people. Many of us are really at the base, and these are really the lower class, and there's a lot of them. More than majority. So, and the middle class is increasing, but it's still limited in terms of, you know, in terms of the— in terms of numbers, of— in terms of population. So if the leader needs to understand the base, the ground, and the masses, because that's the only way for you to address what they need and how they're gonna be improving their lives. Now, if a leader does not understand and who never had experience being, you know, with the masses you will not be able to be an effective leader delivering the goods that you need to deliver to your people and putting your country in the right trajectory that benefits the people, not the elites. So that is my perception of a leader that would be effective for my country. If they don't have this kind of reality realization and experience, I don't think they would be effective really.

Wow, very, very, very insightful I'm going to give you the last word, Anna, before we close this out. But before I do this, on behalf of the entire community, we say thank you for carving out time for us here. I know it's late at night in your location, and we appreciate you really giving us this time to share your knowledge, your insights, your assessments, and your analysis about where things are going.

Doing.

I'll give you the last word. What is your final word to the Filipino people if they are watching this?

Oh, thank you so much, David, and thank you so much for the whole community that is here now, and your audience and the public for giving me the opportunity to, to have this conversation every now and then. It's very important. We need this. We need this platform, really. And thank you so much. I really am not kidding. We need your platform to be for the world to be inform of what's going on. Because whatever happens to the Philippines, especially when you talk about military and defense, I mean, in relation to the region, in relation to China, in relation to all other major powers in the world, even the control of the United States of my country, it will affect the whole world, not just the region. That's one thing that I can tell you. And on the other hand, for my, you know, my co-Filipinos, you know, my fellow Filipinos, midterm election is upcoming. I think it's always been my advocacy that we should always think of the people we're gonna be putting in office, because midterm election will be electing new mayors, new governors, new congressmen and women, and of course new 12 senators. So these are important positions, you know, in the Philippines when you talk about elected posts. So I hope that you will use your vote The, you know, the thing about the Filipinos has to understand is the vote is an equalizing power. You may be poor, you may be wealthy, but your vote counts. It doesn't matter, you know, if you're wealthy, you're poor, you're old or young, it still counts and it matters a lot. So I hope that my my, uh, my— our— the Filipinos will use their vote for the midterm election in the right way. And you would again learn the lessons of what's going on in the country right now, that you will choose the right people to the right position, and you will not, you know, be swayed by propaganda, but you really look at the track records, advocacy, and the issues and the backgrounds of of those who are running for office. Because it's like this, you know, you can't— if you voted for a wrong person, you don't have the right to complain. But if you voted for the right person, probably you have the right to complain. And, you know, sometimes I say that to some of my friends who complained a lot, because at the end of the day, we need to be responsible Filipinos. We need to be active and we need to be responsible by electing the right people, you know, the people who are competent, not just the popular ones. So I think that's one thing that I, I would like to, to, to call. It's, it's like a call on my side because we're having our midterm election by May 2025. And again, with, with the current presidency, I, I just hope that the Filipinos, many Filipinos would wake up and would see the reality really going on in the country, domestic economic-wise and foreign policy-wise. We are not in a good position. We are left behind, actually, in terms of economic development and prosperity by other ASEAN countries. Vietnam is really progressing. I had a conversation with a Vietnamese last week, and I was talking to him, and he was asking me what can I say about the Vietnamese foreign policy and their domestic situation. I said, you're advancing fast economically speaking, and I admire your— and I really admire the Vietnamese foreign policy. I said, you're very clever and you're very wise. And he was like saying, like, yeah, but the Philippines is something— it seems like the Philippines has a lot of problems. Like, yes, I— it's true. So I really hope that the Philippines would open up their eyes, look at the domestic situation in relation to the world and in relation to the region and in relation to our your counterparts in ASEAN, and probably you would realize where we are at the moment. And where we are is not really in a good position. And I hope that would something— that would motivate all Filipinos to think and would do the right thing, especially when electing people in government. So that, that's my message to my fellow Filipinos. And thank you so much, David Oualaalou, for the opportunity. And Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance to everyone. I really hope that 2025 would be good for my country.

Let's hope, let's hope. Thank you so much, and I truly appreciate you being here, and I look forward to having you again for a next topic, whatever that topic might be. So on behalf of the entire community, we say thank you and wish you a good night. Bye-bye.

Bye.

Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed, uh, listening to Anna. She's a wealth of information. She has a lot, a lot of stuff to, uh, a lot of knowledge rather, uh, to share with you just to, for you to have a better understanding. It's always nice to hear it from someone from within. So, and, and Anna is a Filipino, so she understands her country better than anyone else. And we're so, uh, grateful and thankful to have her here. So just as a reminder, quickly before I log out here, uh, remember to join me on the 28th for my conversation with Kaza and on the 29th for the community conversation. And I will have Dr. Stewart coming here to answer some of your health questions. Yeah, especially regarding Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and dementia, because he's specialist into this uh, uh, disease. He understands this inside out. So I look forward to having him here on the 29th. Remember to hit the like button, and I look forward to seeing you next time. As always, remember, geopolitics impact your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys, bye-bye.