NO TO "STRATEGIC GASLIGHTING":

1. It was CHINA's actions that FORCED the Philippines' hands, not the other way around;

2. ASEAN was just as "USELESS" when AQUINO took CHINA to international court, so stop invoking DUTERTE era as an EXCUSE;

3. LACK of CHINESE INVESTMENTS in the Philippines was MOST PRONOUNCED under DUTERTE, who fell for the "PLEDGE TRAP".

Let me explain 🧵 MARCOS initially wanted "NEW GOLDEN AGE" of bilateral ties with China, but failed to get any concessions, so he had to change strategy;

See my @NikkeiAsia piece here asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/China-…

Yes, AUKUS will be big in coming decades but… the real deal (geographic factor alone) is the fast emerging JAPHUS alliance, as the
PHILIPPINES becomes a core element of a Japan-Phil-US trilateral alliance w/ immediate impact on TAIWAN… 🇹🇼🇵🇭🇯🇵🇺🇸🇦🇺 #Aukus #China Both Senkaku 🇯🇵 & Mavulis 🇵🇭 are barely 100 nautical miles from Taiwan’s main shores..,

What do you think of the state of PHILIPPINE CINEMA and our entertainment industry? Folks, let’s be constructive: kindly post suggestions, examples and case studies if ever too :)

“Integrated deterrence”: At once, two different trilateral alignments are coming together, namely AUKUS — Australia, US & UK — as well as the burgeoning JAPHUS — Japan, Philippines, and US — amid growing concerns over China’s designs over Taiwan and the broader First Island Chain This was never about US alone taking on China, which enjoys operational advantages as a primarily regional superpower, but instead leveraging a network of allies and partners to keep Beijing’s ambitions in check…

FYI, the philippines IS NOT vulnerable to Chinese “debt trap” — namely, unsustainable debt-to-GDP ratio in loan commitments — as much as to serious concerns with (lack of) transparency, overreliance on Chinese labour, and “chimera” (pa-asa) in exchange 4 geopolitical concessions Debt trap” means unsustainable debt-to-GDP borrowing ratio. As I always argued, I doubt the Chinese will really invest that much in PH. For summary analysis & detailed report see my piece for Sydney-based Lowy Institute here: lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…