Leni Robredo is my ideal presidential candidate because she has a neutral

stance when it comes to foreign policies. She is not biased towards the United States,
even with various evidences for the things that the country has done for us, and she
also has no plans for cutting ties with China, even though they claim that the
Scarborough shoal is within their territory, and that includes the Spratly Islands. Hsu
(2021) stated that even though previous president Donald Trump has already been
replaced by Joe Biden, the U.S. – China trade wars is still very much in effect. The U.S.
has placed a twenty five percent tariff tax on goods that come from China and is
currently aiming to move most of the manufacturing processes within the country. This
means that China, which is the largest manufacturer of goods in the world, would have
to close down various factories due to the lack in demand from U.S. Companies such as
Apple, Tesla, and many more. With this in mind, where should the Philippines situate
itself when the two of the strongest political forces in the world are against each other? I
believe that the best foreign policy that presidential candidate Leni Robredo can do is
one that includes all, if not most, of the Asian countries, termed as a “pan – Asian
foreign policy” (Delizo, 2021). A pan – Asian foreign policy aims to build a strong
relationship with the 48 countries of Asia. This notion is supported by the fact that
similar to the Philippines, there are also a lot of countries in Asia such as Vietnam and
Thailand, who do have the same interests but lack the financial and political capabilities
to influence the economy and/or manufacture the goods that they needed. By uniting
with the various countries in Asia, the interests of each and every region involved will be
protected from strong oppressive forces such as China are United States. The following
paragraphs are the reasons why a pan – Asian foreign policy is the best option for the
next Philippine president.

First and foremost, this policy does not mean that there will be a revolt between
Asia and the world. An essential ingredient in this program is maintaining a reputable
relationship with stronger countries. A relationship that is built upon diplomacy, respect,
and proper communication. As Robredo once said in her January, 2022 interview in
FINEX, “Meet the Presidentiables”, “any leader shall have the dignity to stand up for
their country”. She emphasized the fact that it does not require aggressive words or
insurmountably radical policies in order to capture the interest of the world. And this is
the correct approach when starting to develop this program. If she wins the presidential
elections, she must first nourish the roots, the foundations of the foreign policy, so that it
is much easier later on to create international resolutions that favor the Philippines.
Now, how is this possible when capitalism is still very much in effect and the resources
within the country is finite? This can be possible through strong communication with one
country at a time. Once an alliance has been made, it’ll become a domino effect until
the alliance becomes bigger and bigger. One might wonder, why is this necessary if
there are already groups such as the Association of Southeast nations, also known as
ASEAN? What is the necessity of this policy if there are intergovernmental
organizations such as the United Nations? The answer is simple, each and every
country have their own interests to protect, and they only agree on international policies
once it fits to the above-mentioned interests. Now, if the Philippines starts the initiative
to create a relationship with other countries that transcends mere international relations,
it’ll be much easier to build plans that will suit the needs of everybody. It will be
beneficial to everyone involved because each and every nation can unite for similar
goals and join forces in the face of possible international threats to their citizens.

Second, better ties with other countries does not only mean strength politically
and financially, but it will also improve the quality of lives of the Filipino citizens. As
presidential candidate Leni Robredo said in her 2022 presidential bid in rotary club
manila, “we must create new and improved relationships with other countries in order
increase our field of exporting goods, reduce the amount of goods we import, and
heighten the level of intelligence and technological advancements within the country”.
With the help of a vast majority of Asian countries, we too as a nation, can rise to a level
that has never been achieved before. Just think about all of the improvements in the
public transportation department, the quality of education of the Filipino students, the
availability of job opportunities not only abroad but also inside the Philippines, the
quality of health care not just in Urban but also rural areas, and many more. The
possibilities are endless once we start thinking out of the box and build trust with
countries that are in the five regions of Asia. The overall health of the economy would
also improve because trade relations and commerce between the Philippines and other
countries in Asia will become a lot smoother and more inexpensive. We have seen how
modern e-commerce sites such as Shopee and Lazada took over the Philippine Market
and flooded the Filipino household with affordable items from Chinese manufacturers. If
one country can do such a huge impact on the Philippine economy, what more if there
are multiple countries working hand in hand with us when it comes to the process of
manufacturing and trading essential goods.

Third and last reason is that an alliance with countries that transcend Southeast
asia serves as defense from manipulative tactics that could come from countries that
has a higher international influence than the Philippines. As said earlier, the Philippines
is not going to cut ties with countries such as China, U.S., etc. and will still continue
normal trade relations with them. The main caveat is the fact that the Philippines will not
succumb anymore to their abilities and overall strength once the time comes that
conflict of interests do arise once again. The Philippines does not have the most
capable intelligence department, the army and navy officials are not adequate enough
to go head-to-head with countries that have advanced combat technology in conjunction
with immensely strong nuclear and fire power. The way that Philippines will fight is
through diplomatic means, of course with the support of the countries that have strong
ties with the Philippines. In the face of the United Nations, which is an
intergovernmental organization, the rights of the country has a higher chance of being
preserved due to the fact that there are a lot more international leaders that are in favor
of us. Of course, an alliance does not necessarily guarantee that the Philippines is
going to be perfectly safe, but the pan – Asian foreign policy will definitely aide in the
process of lessening the risks. The power dynamics of the world is very difficult to
change, mainly because it is not just the government which has the influence to the
democratic relations of the world, but also the private sector who have immense control
over resources such as electricity, oil, transportation, telecommunications, etc. similar to
Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. The best way in order to offset this is by having an alliance
with like minded countries that are willing to look after each other in times of prosperity
and turmoil.

In conclusion, a pan – Asian foreign policy is the best way in order to situate
Philippines in between the different conflicts that exist the world. Not only does it
provide various opportunities for development within the country, it also protects the
Philippines from different threats that could arise in the near or far future. This program
of course requires effort and commitment to any presidential candidate that would win
the elections. I chose Leni Robredo because among all of the individuals who chose to
run as President, her track record has proven that she is indeed more than capable of
handling an entire country. She has the heart of a public servant whilst also maintaining
a strict and unbiased attitude towards any decision-making opportunity. She has shown
time and time again that women are just as capable as men when it comes to handling
large economic and political issues. Her experience may be shorter than everyone else
running for presidency, but she prides herself in her experience on the ground, and not
just in the office. With a large team of volunteers that back her every project, she was
able to create an impact to the Philippines as the vice president. Although the political
climate inside the country is still black and white, I believe that there is a very good
chance that Leni Robredo can unite not only the Filipino citizens but also the Asian
countries. At the end of the day, no matter which candidate wins the elections, this
foreign policy will still become a highly viable option, not just for the welfare of the
Filipino people but also for the country as a whole.
References:
Delizo, R. (2021, March 24). A pan-Asian foreign policy alternative for PH. Philippine
Daily Inquirer. https://opinion.inquirer.net/138756/a-pan-asian-foreign-policy-alternative-
for-ph

Hsu, S. (2021, March 21). The US-China Trade War is Still Happening. The Diplomat.
https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/the-us-china-trade-war-is-still-happening/

Leni Robredo. (2022, January 22). VP Leni on foreign policy: Interest of country and
people first [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6fN1Ui3Tao

Rappler. (2021, October 14). ICYMI: Rotary Club of Manila's meeting with VP Leni
Robredo [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAfsMIuvn1g