SUMMARY
Like a doughnut, the much hyped “Bagong Pilipinas,” President Marcos’ rallying cry for his administration, has a big hole. While it promises a sky full of stars – an “environment that provides equal opportunities to all Filipinos” and the “attainment of comprehensive policy reforms…” – it leaves out the seas.
“Bagong Pilipinas” (New Philippines) does not situate the country in a changed geopolitical context wherein Marcos himself has clearly taken the lead in standing up to China, the bully. In an apparent zeal to follow his late father’s “Bagong Lipunan” (New Society) brand, so steeped in the 1970s, he merely transplanted the slogan without considering the wider environment, the conflicts that have been happening in the world, and their impact on us.
The seas are where global…