Help from friends

The nation celebrates the 114th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence today amid a simmering territorial dispute with China in Panatag or Scarborough Shoal. The dispute should serve as a wake-up call to the nation that independence needs to be nurtured and strengthened.

Faced with one of Asia’s most powerful armies in the West Philippine Sea, the country has turned to its former colonial overseer, the United States, for help. Washington, which has close economic ties with China, has vowed to abide by its commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty. The US has also made one of its submarines surface off Zambales, near the disputed shoal. But Washington has also made it clear that it won’t take sides and prefers to see territorial disputes settled peacefully by the concerned parties.

External defense is not the only area where the Philippines has had to seek outside help. The country remains heavily dependent on official development assistance for many of its needs, including infrastructure modernization and public health care. A tepid response from the private sector to the government’s much-touted public-private partnership program prompted officials to announce that the country would turn to ODA for jump-starting PPP projects.

The Declaration of Philippine Independence, delivered from the home of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in Cavite 114 years ago today, announced the end of Spain’s colonial rule in this archipelago. For a brief period, Filipinos took over the country, setting up a revolutionary government with a full Cabinet and organizing a regular army. But the Philippine government was not prepared to repel a new set of colonizers.

Over a century later, the country is just starting to make noises about developing credible self-defense capability. During natural calamities, the country relies on other nations for the most basic relief requirements such as medicine and sleeping mats.

Help from friends is always welcome and much appreciated. But the Philippines must do its part and exert more effort to reduce its reliance on outside help. Friends also like and respect those who help themselves.