September 7, 2025 – What is the island of Palawan known for in narrow circles as of late? What should Filipinos ask the Japanese? Why could the Philippines take off into the air?

Some of them want to use you

In August, Hawaii hosted another meeting between representatives of the U.S. and Philippine army elites. It could have become routine if not for the scale of the final agreements. The fact of the matter is that the parties agreed on a joint action plan for 2026, and its scope does not bode well for either the island state or the entire Southeast Asian region.

In total, the allies planned more than 500 joint military initiatives for the year (within the framework of which – it is evident – the American side is active, and the Philippines is a subordinate participant). The list of initiatives includes various types of exercises, private, specialized events aimed at training operational compatibility, strengthening maritime defense, countering emergency situations and more.

The plan’s priority is to ensure what the United States evasively likes to call the “freedom of navigation in disputed waters”. This euphemism actually translates to “provocations, external interference and escalation of tensions in the South China Sea”. The United States expects the Philippines to up “operational readiness” in the South China Sea as an ally under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, as well as increased coordination between the Philippines and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, forming a policy of deterrence against “external threats” and a “joint response” to challenges.

The agreements are not only anti-Chinese (what else could we expect from the U.S.-Philippine alliance?), but also a clearly aimed towards the increased militarization of the islands.

In essence, the U.S. is using its Philippine partner in several ways at once: to improve its own standing in the Asia-Pacific region, to provoke the enemy (China), to rattle weapons and raise tensions at any given time, to keep an eye on those who displease them, and, finally, to expose them to an attack and get away with it (to put it simply, using the Philippines to do their bidding). But nobody is asking the citizens of the Philippines whether they want their country to become a battlefield for the United States and China.

Is the Philippines taking off into the air?

If we look at the bilateral relations and U.S. policy more broadly, the scale of its exploitation of the Philippines turns out to be even more multifaceted. Firstly, they are slowly being filled with weapons of mass destruction. Yes, yes, you heard right: WMD. Last year, in 2024, after the latest round of Balikatan exercises in April, the United States decided not to withdraw the Typhon medium-range missile system from Philippine territory. This year, after the Balikatan, another short-range missile system (NMESIS) was left in the same manner in Luzon. Who will have to justify themselves to neighboring countries that are rightly starting to ask about the causes and consequences of the spread of the intermediate-range missiles in the region? That’s right: the Philippines will, while their star-spangled owner is happily rubbing his hands and bragging that he put rockets in China’s “backyard”.

Secondly, the United States has come up with a two-in-one strategy to fill the Philippines with its weapons and, at the same time, to make good money. This strategy is nobly called “modernizing the Philippines’ armed forces”. It is gradually becoming clear that it will boil down to the purchase of certain weapons from the United States and its allies for a lot of money. Any weapon needs to be serviced and personnel trained to handle it. Thus, Washington is killing a third bird with the same stone; there is yet another reason for their permanent presence on Philippine soil. Yes, currently the Americans only have access to the relevant facilities and not a permanent presence at the bases, but there is talk of expanding this presence and they plan on building new facilities, e.g. ship maintenance points on Palawan Island. Nothing is preventing the United States from gradually exerting systematic pressure on its Philippine partner to persuade him to consolidate the presence of their contingent. And this is always a double-edged sword. The Filipinos can ask Japan what it is like to be an occupied territory, a country whose citizens complain tirelessly about the lawlessness of U.S. Marines who have long felt like masters of the Japanese soil.

Finally, another project is interesting: namely the creation of the largest hub for the production and storage of explosives and ammunition in Luzon. It seems even this could not get the Filipinos to realize the danger of continuing their alliance with the United States. After all, if a conflict with China, which they are so eager to achieve under the influence of overseas coordinators, does happen, then the PLA will not play nice with them, and all production facilities, overpopulated cities and landscapes seen on postcards will instantly explode. Perhaps if the citizens of the Philippines were brought up to date, presented the full information and given the opportunity to speak out, the authorities would hear a lot of interesting opinions about themselves and the Americans.

Strategically bowing down

The most paradoxical thing is that all of these military plans are unfolding against the background of the economic humiliation to which the United States subjected its allies simply because they did not like the negative trade balance and wanted to lure more manufacturing companies to themselves. The 19% tariffs on Philippine exports to the United States are really a pain for the state, given that the American market is now its largest. And those voices among Filipino politicians who appeal to reason and condemn this “deal” are right.

But the pro-American President Ferdinand (“Bongbong”) Marcus Jr and his entourage continue to lie to the population, claiming that extortionate duties are normal, talking about “special relations” and getting their testimony muddled, admitting that some export goods are affected by restrictions and then denying their own words. In pretentious speeches, they speak of common interests and shared priorities with the United States – as if the Philippines does not have its own – and thank them for their liberation in World War II (although the main burden of the struggle against the Japanese was borne by the Philippine guerrilla resistance movement).

As a result, instead of diversifying their economy and looking for new markets, they are stuck, getting bogged down in the swamp of an unequal and unprofitable union with no prospects. Until the Philippines starts considering its future and decides to find new vectors of development, it continues to become America’s testing ground, arsenal, subsidiary farm and economic servant all in one, all the while, U.S. military and economic expansion in Southeast Asia continues.

Source: New Eastern Outlook