Manila: In political rallies, the hearings of the Senate and electoral surveys before the mid -term elections on Monday (May 12) in the Philippines, China was an overwhelming and unusual presence -.
The shadow of its giant sea neighbor has been looming in the Philippines for years, but while the most eminent political clans in the country flex their muscles in the generally discreet process to choose the Senators and Local Government leaders, relations with China have become a political lightning rod.
The result could end up shaping the country's strategic positioning on the remaining half of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who began in 2022.
“Are we going to return to the time when our leaders wanted us to become a province of China?” Marcos asked the voters during a rally in February, in a excavation at the predecessor Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Sara, who is currently vice-president and a key rival of Marcos.
During her quarter from 2016 to 2022, Duterte moved foreign policy on China, adopting a conciliation rhetoric and minimizing disputes in the Southern China Sea.
The strategy aroused Washington's concern and raised questions about the long security alliance of the Philippines with the United States.
On the other hand, Marcos moved to revive and deepen the links with Washington.
“These are hot button problems to which many Philippin voters can refer, in particular on the question of China. There has been a time in the past where foreign policy did not really matter during the elections,” said Ederson Tapia, professor of public administration at the University of Makati.
“But now this is the case.”
An investigation in April revealed that a majority of voters in the country of 110 million prefer candidates who assert Philippine sovereignty in the Southern China Sea, where the administration led by Marcos has taken a more assertive position in its maritime confrontations with Beijing, who continue tirelessly.
It is a feeling that Marcos has exploited since he started his campaign for the list of candidates in the Senate that he supports.
During the February rally, Marcos underlined his candidates, saying: “None of them applauded China when our coastal guard was bombed with water, when our fishermen were blocked, when their catch was stolen and our islands seized to be part of another country.”
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not answer Reuters' questions.
The Duterte camp experienced a wave of sympathy when He was arrested By the International Criminal Court in March and taken to the Hague, but Marcos' candidates remain to come in the polls and seem ready to dominate the race in the Senate.
A Duterte spokesperson did not respond to a request for comments.
Proliferation of disinformation
During a one -month campaign, Marcos maintained pressure and focused on China as a key electoral problem, while her allies targeted Sara Duterte for her silence on China's actions.
Sara, a future probable presidential candidate, was once an ally of Marcos but now faced a indictment on costs, including a threatening The president if she herself was injured.
In the Philippines, the Senate of 24 members acts as the jury in any dismissal trial, which makes the mid-term even more consecutive to determine the political future of Sara Duterte.
Sara, who denied the reprehensible acts, responded to her dismissal with challenge, asking the Supreme Court to cancel the complaint against her.
A strong mandate for Marcos would not only define his capacity to govern decisively during the remaining three years of his mandate, but would also shape the 2028 presidential race, said Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, political analyst and founder of Stratbase Group, a research and advice company.
Marcos is limited to a single term under the Constitution and should anoint a successor. If she survived the dismissal, Sara Duterte would also be eligible to present herself in 2028.
“Those who present themselves must be tested on consistency with regard to these questions,” said Manhit, referring to the protection of maritime rights and the sovereignty of the Philippines.
“And one of them is the current vice-president. She did not speak of this coercion by China.”
A SARA DUTERTE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comments.
The mid-term elections are involved in the midst of a proliferation of disinformation in the Philippines. Up to 45% of discussions on social networks were motivated by inauthentic accounts, Reuters reported last month.
The use of false accounts and influencers paid for political operations is widespread in the Philippines, but a senior security official and a senator allegedly allegedly allegedly sponsored by the Chinese State could try to influence the Philippins.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Manila have rejected the accusations.
