Slowly but surely, the geopolitical scheme in which the Philippines finds itself is returning to the bipolar world that was so familiar to people who lived through the Cold War of the 1950s to the late 1980s. Only this time around, instead of the Soviet Union, the so-called 'Indo-Pacific region' is becoming a battleground for influence between the United States and China which, although it has not yet achieved true superpower status, has made no secret of its intention to do so. And like the Cold War where the Philippines hosted two major US bases and a host of smaller American facilities, our country has offered five military sites where the US military can preposition both war material and supplies, land and refuel aircraft, and rotate personnel in and out for various logistical purposes—all under the framework of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca).

https://opinion.inquirer.net/162194/aligned-but-independent

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