Tag: Anna Malindog-Uy

Imagine Being Ray Powell (CIA), Terrified of Peace, Diplomacy, and a Filipina +

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Oh, look — Ray Powel, again, the CIA operative messing around the SCS dispute???

Apparently, I’m living rent-free in the head of a retired U.S. Air Force colonel turned “maritime gray-zone investigator” who thinks the Philippines, China, ASEAN, and the entire South China Sea revolve around his newly invented fantasy threat matrix. Let me make this absolutely clear:

Ray Powell mentioning me — twice now — is A BADGE OF HONOR!! Because if a CIA-adjacent operative (yes, Ray, we all know how “Air Force Attachés” function abroad), working hand-in-hand with Washington’s geopolitical machinery, has me on his radar, it only means one thing:

I’m saying something true enough, loud enough, and inconvenient enough to rattle him.

Imagine Being Ray Powell (CIA), Terrified of Peace, Diplomacy, and a Filipina

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Duterte Arrest Raises Stakes in Clash for Control of Philippines

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
YouTube

Duterte Arrest Raises Stakes in Clash for Control of Philippines

Three years ago, the most powerful political families in the Philippines joined hands to secure the nation’s biggest election victory in four decades. Now they are locked in a feud that threatens to derail one of Asia’s economic growth stars.

In dramatic events on Tuesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government arrested and deported his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte to face the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The move came just over a month after the impeachment of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, by allies of Marcos. A Senate trial, which would determine whether she gets removed from office, is scheduled to begin in July.

The Philippines Inaugurates New President Marcos Jr.
Sara Duterte, left, with Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2022. Photographer: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
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Is the Philippines becoming a US ‘proxy’ against Beijing in the South China Sea?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Is the Philippines becoming a US ‘proxy’ against Beijing in the South China Sea?

‘The ants that get trampled on’

Not everyone agrees with drawing closer to the US, however, and they warn about the Philippines turning into a “proxy” for American interests. The president’s own sister Imee, a senator, told ANC Digital earlier this month that “China will always be our neighbour, we have no fight with them, let’s not get dragged into a fight that’s not our own.”

Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy, director of the pro-China Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, wrote in the Manila Times on February 10 that “agreements such as the EDCA, the VFA and the Mutual Defence Treaty have not only cemented the US military presence and influence in the Philippines but also, most importantly, exemplified the Philippines’ dependence on the US in the military and defence sector.”

Teresita Ang See, former president of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies and currently part of its advisory council, told This Week in Asia: “Filipinos in general condemn China’s action. But many also understand that China’s assertiveness is in response to US, Japanese and Australian provocations and increasing military presence in the Philippines.”

She warned that “we are fighting a proxy war between the US and China and in the end we will be the ants that get trampled upon”.

H/T: Johnsonwkchoi

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Philippines counts the cost of tough South China Sea stance against Beijing

With duplicity, the Philippines hot-headedly positions itself as the US’ cannon fodder + More

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

What does the Philippines want – a stable and conducive environment for its peaceful development, or to be trapped in the unpredictable game of geopolitics? Recently, the country’s actions and words have been filled with duplicity and complexity, but the trend is discernible – the Philippines is hot-headedly positioning itself as a vanguard, bridgehead, and even cannon fodder for the US.

With duplicity, the Philippines hot-headedly positions itself as the US’ cannon fodder

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8th PH-CN BCM in the South China Sea: A Step Forward, But What Lies Ahead

Philippines to develop islands in South China Sea + More

Tonto Strikes Again: Preempts Task Force, DFA + and an update (Philippines)

The enduring legacy of the East King of Sulu in Chinese-Filipino diplomacy

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

By Prof. Anna Malindog-Uy

ON December 3 last year (2023), I embarked on a meaningful and soul-stirring journey to pay special and heartfelt tribute at the tomb of Sultan Paduka Batara, known as “Pahala,” at his sacred resting place in Dezhou, a captivating city in China’s Shandong province. It was indeed a momentous experience for me. It was also an educational and inspiring half-day trip.

The enduring legacy of the East King of Sulu in Chinese-Filipino diplomacy