Vol. VII, No. 4 - February 28, 2025
US president Donald Trump’s blatant dumping of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during their meeting at the White House on February 28 should serve as a warning to US lapdog Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on what US imperialism would do to its puppet states – used when convenient, abandoned when no longer needed.
On March 4, Trump declared suspension of all military aid to Ukraine, which cripples the country’s capacity to continue the proxy war against Russia. In light of this, the Filipino people must realize that the US’s alleged ironclad commitment to defend the country against foreign invaders is a hollow promise.
Holding on to this hollow promise from his imperialist masters, Marcos Jr. has allowed the Philippine-China maritime conflict to be used as justification in expanding the presence and military operations of American troops in Philippine soil. In addition to increasing military bases, Marcos also allowed the launching of large-scale war games, positioning of the Typhon missile system and establishment of command centers inside AFP camps.
The US has long used the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) as a carrot to give the illusion that it will back the Philippines in an event of an all-out war with China. But the US has a long history of selectively upholding or disregarding security agreements based on its shifting geopolitical interests, and the MDT is no exception. While the MDT nominally commits both nations to mutual defense, its vague language – particularly the lack of an automatic military response clause – allows the US significant flexibility in interpreting its obligations. In effect, should Washington no longer find the Philippines strategically beneficial in relation to its war provocations against China, the US can easily downplay its commitments, citing changing defense priorities or budget constraints.
The upcoming Balikatan war games this year will also be exploited as yet another provocation by the US to escalate tensions with China. Under the guise of “defensive exercises,” Balikatan 2025 will involve full-scale battle simulations, large-scale military drills near contested waters and promises to mobilize the largest ever deployment of American soldiers, effectively bating China into reacting aggressively. This fits the longstanding pattern of US military strategy – escalating conflict it does not intend to directly fight, while ensuring its puppet states and their peoples bear the brunt of retaliation. If an all-out war erupts, it is the Filipino people who will suffer first and foremost.
Marcos Jr.’s shameless subservience to U.S. imperialist dictates is not just a betrayal of national sovereignty—it is a direct threat to the safety and future of the Filipino people. By allowing the Philippines to be used as a pawn in Washington’s escalating conflict with China, he is willingly placing the country on the frontlines of a war that serves only foreign interests. At the same time, his regime is plagued by rampant corruption, worsening poverty, and a deepening economic crisis that is crushing the masses under its weight.
But history has shown that oppression breeds resistance. As the contradictions sharpen, more and more Filipinos are rejecting this rotten system, with many choosing the path of armed struggle to fight for genuine liberation. The worsening conditions lay the groundwork for the people’s war in the countryside to surge forward, advancing to new and greater heights. In the end, Marcos Jr.’s servility to U.S. imperialism will not save him—it will be his own undoing.