A POLITICAL expert on Saturday warned that the Philippines should learn from the experience of Ukraine, adding that the country is allegedly being used as a proxy of the United States in its campaign against China.
During the Pandesal Forum, Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Vice President for External Affairs Prof. Anna Malindog-Uy said Filipinos should oppose the establishment of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites to save the country in case war between US and China breaks out.
"I would like to express my sincere opposition to the militarization of the Philippines due to the full implementation of EDCA because of the whims and caprices of the US, together with its allies in the Asia-Pacific region," Malindog-Uy said.
Malindog-Uy also criticized Defense Officer in Charge Carlito Galvez Jr., after he dismissed the opposition by local government officials over plans to establish additional US military facilities in their respective provinces.
"We should say no to the full implementation of the EDCA and the four EDCA bases facing Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea. We should say no to the enhanced joint patrol in the West Philippines Sea between the US, Japan, and Australia [that might[ provoke our giant neighbor, China. This is a recipe for disaster in the disputed waters. We should say no to the deployment of more military assets on Philippine soil," Malindog-Uy added.
Malindog-Uy said the government should allow public debate on the issue to determine the true sentiments of the people.
"This war that the US has been trying to instigate for the longest time, worse comes to worst, will be at the expense of our country and Asia. The ramification of this impending war between the two superpowers will be fatal and most devastating to any country that Uncle Sam will use as a hostage," Malindog-Uy added.
She added that the Philippines should not leave its fate to the US.
"To be used as a proxy and a new colony of the US is not a joke. It basically means that as a nation, we are not truly independent. This means that our fate as a nation is not ours and controlled by an empire, the saddest realization for every Filipino," she noted.
Malindog-Uy said a possible World War 3 might erupt with the heightened tension between the US and China.
"We are in the most dangerous political situation since 1945. We are facing a world where for every possible miscalculation in the three flashpoints in the regions, namely the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula, the world would be on the brink of World War 3. This impending war would not be the same kind of war humanity had experienced before. It is most catastrophic and fatal," Malindog-Uy said.
For his part, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino Chairman Emeritus Ka Leody de Guzman said that despite being an ally for so many years, the US failed to help the country in addressing the poverty in the country.
"If it (US) really wants to help us, why do we still have 23 million Filipinos who experience hunger, 7 million Filipinos who have no homes, and 4 million Filipinos who are unemployed?" de Guzman said.
On the other hand, United Filipino Consumers and Commuters President Ka RJ Javellana demanded the resignation of Galvez.
"Galvez should resign," he said.
Galvez has said that the Philippine government "is aiming to achieve an optimal number and locations of the EDCA sites to maximize their coverage of the Philippine archipelago."