China’s bridges to the “Shared Future”

LAST April 5, 2022 China’s grant, or gift, in a more idiomatic tone for the Philippine-China friendship saga, of the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge was officially opened by President Rodrigo R. Duterte with the participation of China’s ambassador, HE Huang Xilian.

The iconic bridge now stands as a towering and illuminating symbol, especially when all lighted up at night arching over the fluvial darkness of the Pasig River, of the millenniums of Philippine-China fraternal understanding, conviviality and harmonious cooperation in all aspects of life.

I observed this bridge at night from the seventh floor of the newly refurbished building of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) when the National Press Club (NPC) held its Manila Mayoralty Forum in its spic-and-span conference hall recently last April 8, 2022.

I was mesmerized by the arch of light that the bridge metamorphosed to at night, and on that occasion I observed car and motorcycle lights stopping and lined up stationary on both sides of the lanes and disappearing then reappearing. When I did cross that bridge later in the night I saw why.

The shifting stationary vehicles lights were due to batches of motorist and motorcycle rides stopping to enjoy that shower of light on the bridge while savoring the night breeze that blows over the river, and couples and families were stopping to take selfies and videos. Amazing impact, I thought.

Around ten months earlier in July of 2021 President Duterte also inaugurated another grant-in-aid bridge from China, the now four-lane Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge crossing Pasig River from Makati to Mandaluyong relieving EDSA traffic of 20,000 vehicles a day crossing the Guadalupe Bridge.

That bridge too has become a nightly promenade for the residents of the area and extremely appreciated by taxi and Grab drivers, as well as the regular commuters needing. It also relieves much of the load on the Makati-Mandaluyong bridge further down J.P. Rizal along Pasig River.

It has been a decade since the US deliberately launched the ward-wears and tension between the Philippines and China using the tempest-in-the-teapot issue of the South China Sea competing claims as cause célébre, but persistent show of goodwill by China has mended the bridges of understanding.

In a poll in mid-2021 by Publicus it was found that 53.3% out of 1,500 respondents of Filipinos are already “open” to the idea of China as a potential friend and not an enemy.

If we add the “shy China friend,” meaning those who hide their real sentiment due to the past anti-China atmosphere, we can say China and the Philippines, and Duterte’s success in ten years, restoring Fil-Chinese amity has been a success.

China is, in fact, spreading the message of peace and friendship across the world, even calling for mediation of the Ukraine War.

But when we look at the U.S. it is becoming clearer to more and more people in the World that it has no other motivation in existing as a country except to create and perpetuate war. These wars are often called as a part of the “Forever Wars”. The meme for this has been the much-quoted aphorism “The US Has Been At War 222 Out of 239 Years” of its existence.

While China has been contributing and contributed to the Philippines 56-million Covid-19 vaccines, bridges, road, ports, drug rehab centers, agricultural technology (the PhilSCAT in Nueva Ecija), irrigation (the Chico River irrigation dam), the Kaliwa Dam (just approved for construction to feed Metro-Manila with 660-million-liters- per minute of drinking water) and investments such as DITO communications and many more.

The US is contributing war preparation to the Philippines, that is the Balikatan PHL-US military exercise 2022 with 9,000 men, practicing invasion (of what, Taiwan? Or the Fuga and Babuyan islands as stepping stones to Taiwan and closing of Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel?) including exercises with HazMat (hazardous material) suits expecting to use and invite biowarfare, chemical and nuke attacks?

Cagayan Province’s Governor Manuel Mamba objected to the Balikatan in his province fearing the “live fire” drills endanger his people, the hostile character of the exercise that assumes war a priori, the negative impact on investments from particularly China which is the only nation-partner that finds the prospects for investment promising due to proximity of Taiwan and Fujian provinces. For these concern Mamba is tagged “pro-China” – is that fair at all?

U.S. intention with the Balikatan military drills is to create a Ukraine War situation in the Philippines to upset the Rise of Asia and China. Are we stupid enough to allow this for another year?

I hope BBM and Sara will put a stop to this ASAP. ###

(Samahan si Ka Mentong Laurel atbp. sa “Power Thinks” Miyerkules @6pm Live Global Talk News Radio (GTNR) sa Facebook at Talk News TV, You Tube; at tuwing Linggo 8 to 10am sa RP1 738khz AM radio.)