The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) area of responsibility includes multiple countries with large economies, large military forces, and significant diplomatic influence throughout the world. Also noteworthy, this region comprises five nations for which the US maintains formal bilateral security treaties. One of these nations, the Philippines, possesses some developmental challenges affecting U.S. interests, some of which include, violation of human rights, corruption, lack of education, drugs, infrastructure, and poverty. Strategic thinking on the American policy approach to this region, forces the US to focus on these areas of enduring strategic concern and value, and must consider strategic implications for US regional relations and its reputation as an ally.
Perhaps the primary social, and/or developmental challenge confronting the Philippines is their deteriorating stance in upholding human rights. President Duterte has made no secret in his ploy to use whatever means at his disposal to affect his policies, including militarizing common citizens. “The president has similarly castigated former justice secretary and senator Leila de Lima, who has challenged Duterte’s efforts to “nationalize” the use of vigilante justice.” President Duterte has taken his vigilante justice to atrocious levels. Exponential killings take place without even the mention of justice, or defense of the accused. “Human rights organizations, however, say that many of the killings are carried out at night by officially sanctioned vigilantes, who are being paid for the work, and many of whom are police in civilian clothes.”
Multiple human rights group, the United Nations, and the US has decried these killings as human rights violations. Since preserving human rights has traditionally been a stronghold of American values, the Philippines being a US ally, and carrying out these atrocities is problematic when referencing US interests. Even with the outcry from the international community, the President Duterte has increased his self-imposed war on drugs. “Duterte’s war on drugs has led 800 000 people who use drugs to “surrender,” whereby they register with the authorities, hoping to receive immunity from the killings and treatment. Their only other option is to wait and see what the president’s war on drugs might bring,” and likely are murdered to reduce prison populations, which have increased significantly since Duterte took office.
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Thousands have been killed already, and continue to intensify. “The scare tactics of shoot on sight is driving up stress and tension among the users and so they will use more illegal drugs to ease their increased anxiety. The pushers take more risks because they earn more with the increase in cost of illegal drugs due to scarcity, and their earnings are greater,” representing a revolving circle of which this issue seems never-ending. Although many human rights organizations provided the Philippine government with their rallying cry to end the extrajudicial killings, President Duterte has support from a powerful US leader. President Trump has praised the drug enforcement policy in the Philippines, stating, “Some countries have a very tough penalty, the ultimate penalty, and they have much less of a drug problem than we do.”
Rampant corruption is increasingly problematic as a social challenge within the Philippines. While campaigning for the highest office in the land, President Rodrigo Duterte “promised quickly to halt rising crime, end government corruption, and rebuild the country’s crumbling infrastructure.” He made big promises to a people that were looking for significant change. Removing corruption was a major platform concept for Duterte. Although he talked tough on corruption, “he became embroiled in controversy on the subject of his own bank accounts.” With Duterte’s own corruption related issues well known throughout the country, it is likely that most citizens view the entire administration as corrupt.
“Duterte emphasizes national interests over national or cultural values, which they address obliquely if at all.” The weaker economy, and thus, the subsequent lower income of many city or country officials propagate corruption and bribery. Because of diminished values at the national or cultural level, corruption has increased significantly, and therefore demonstrates a lack of integrity and trust. President Duterte favors Catholicism. Though it is the majority religion, many people practice other religions. However, the president is complicit when non-Catholics are persecuted; “further unsettling to some observers is the complete silence of Duterte on the atrocities committed by the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship during Martial Law against the Filipino Muslims, such as the aforementioned Jabidah massacre.”
] Since Duterte started his presidential campaign and ultimately took over the presidency, there has been a major shift in authoritarian rule, also contributing to the increased level of corruption. “Duterte entered the fray with one basic campaign promise: To restore peace and order within three to six months by any means possible, including extrajudicial killings and a declaration of martial law.” The ensuing martial law and subsequent bloodshed greatly affects US national interest. Foreign policy makers in the U.S. value integrity and honesty in their political dealings, particularly with a bilateral treaty ally. Duterte’s corruption (or perceived corruption) is bound to result in aggression with another nation or even lead to a coupe in the Philippines. As a bilateral treaty ally, the U.S. would be obligated to assist and engage in that matter.
Arguably, lack of education in the Philippines can be noted as an economic, social, and developmental issue in the nation. Its basic education system is in disarray. President Duarte, along with his war on drugs and drug dealers, ran his campaign on the promise of economic reform, including the improvement of the Philippine education system. Duterte was popular among the rich and elite. He only gained support from the very poor near the end of his campaign with the referenced promise of economic reform that would elevate the poor to the middle class.
“The state must be responsible for keeping peace and order, administering justice, constructing public works and delivering social services especially to the poor.” President Duterte further contends, “the best service the government can give to the poorest of the poor is to provide their children with free access to quality basic education and to tertiary education that is relevant to the needs of private employers.” Poverty is a growing concern, and adequate education is one of the only ways for individuals to advance their economic standing and quality of life. Many Philippine citizens work outside of their country and send money to their homeland to support their families. However, in 2018, there was a ban on some travel.
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines called for Filipino workers to leave Kuwait within 72 hours after a maid was found murdered, citing what he called a pattern of abuse in the country. President Duterte’s government offered to arrange free flights for workers to return home, and banned all further deployment of workers to Kuwait. Of the 2.3 million Filipinos working abroad, at least 250,000 had been employed in Kuwait before the ban.
US interests are directly tied to this issue. When a vast amount of Philippine citizens are living in poverty, partly from a lack of education, the US will inevitably expend resources to mitigate this challenge for our ally. Additionally, a population whom lacks at least a standard/average level of intelligence makes for an easy target from any adversary of the U.S.
These matters are all inter-related. Many Philippines citizens are provided a lackluster education, leading them into a life of poverty. Poverty is synonymous with the Philippines. With few prospects at home, many Filipinos go overseas to Hong Kong or Dubai to work as house cleaners or laborers. For those choosing to stay in the Philippines, the limited options include selling drugs. Petty dealing in methamphetamine or alternatively in cannabis is one way to make a living in the country.” The President has deem drugs as the “scourge of society,” and he has employed a corrupt police unit and vigilante force to use extrajudicial killings and a shoot-on-site rule-of-engagement to address the people dealing drugs. “Rodrigo Duterte embarked on a violent campaign to end illicit drug use in the country. He offered bounties for the bodies of drug dealers and promised to protect police from prosecution for the killings.”
The issues corruption, lack of education leading to poverty, and violation of human rights are challenges confronting the Philippines, and therefore, the East Asia Pacific region. Though these intermingled and complex problems are not an immediate threat to the US, its impact on U.S. interests will be expressed in our inevitable efforts to address these significant issues. Because the Philippines is a bilateral security ally, and a nation who holds a strategic geographic location in the East Asia Pacific region, U.S. involvement in the solution of this nation’s problems are unavoidable. These Philippine issues will require increased observation from the US President, his inner cabinet advisors, and ultimately the USINDOPACOM Combatant Commander, for action will take place as the political atmosphere there dissolves.
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