Opinion | US-Philippines defence cooperation hits turbulence amid domestic opposition

While the Marcos administration continues to push for closer defence ties with Washington, a domestic coalition has risen up in anger over the president’s plans

Members of the Filipino-Chinese business community, former president Rodrigo Duterte and even Marcos’ sister are collectively resisting a fully fledged alignment with the US against China

Reading Time:4 minutes

Published: 3:30am, 10 Apr 2023

“Gentlemen, what is our fight with Taiwan? What’s our fight with Taiwan? I don’t understand,” Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” Marcos, chair of the Philippine Senate’s foreign affairs committee, asked during a high-profile hearing last month.

“Why are we doing all the military exercises in Luzon a stone’s throw … away from Taiwan?” she asked during exchanges with top Philippine defence officials serving under her younger brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr.

The senator was referring to the government’s recent decision to expand US access to a host of military bases across the Philippines under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). She complained how the crucial defence pact could be hijacked by the US geopolitical agenda, namely “addressing the escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait”.

In response, Philippine Defence Secretary Carlito Galvez Jnr said, “We might change the location depending on the agreement we might be having with the security sector.” Shortly after, the Philippine military announced it would relocate major war games with the United States this year away from Taiwan. It has also refused to grant US requests for access to the northernmost Philippine bases which are close to Taiwan’s shores.

Although the Marcos administration has gradually tilted towards traditional allies, especially amid the festering disputes with China in the South China Sea, the president faces resistance at home.

A coalition of figures from across the political spectrum, including Imee Marcos, former president Rodrigo Duterte and nationalist groups are collectively resisting a fully fledged alignment with the US against China.

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