Filipino farmers exclaim: the United States’ foreign policy toward the Philippines is expected to stay mostly the same after US Presidential Elections results.

The looming fifth of November serves as a months-long culmination of political tension in the United States. The US has been put under a lens after its recent foreign policy decisions, especially in light of the escalation of the genocide in Gaza, and growing domestic challenges that have sparked international concern over its leadership role and stability on the global stage. In the election front, Kamala Harris only substituted the Democratic Party nomination after incumbent US President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race. The Republican Party nominee Donald Trump returns for a second re-election bid, even after becoming the first former US president convicted of felony crimes. However, for the rest of the world and particularly to US neocolonies, the elections only serves as a pageant to whomever will assume the post of head butcher of oppressed peoples worldwide.

As Vice President to Biden, Harris was personally involved in the diplomatic push for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a part of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy which aims to counterbalance China’s growing influence in the region. EDCA has allowed positioning of US troops, arms, and other military materiel in Philippine soil. In turn, the US has constantly supplied the Philippines with military aid, which the Philippine government is expected to direct toward “counter-insurgency”, which are in actuality military operations against its own citizens. In 2024, the Philippines will have been the largest recipient of US military aid among Southeast Asian nations, totaling $48.8 million. EDCA has significant implications for Filipino peasants, particularly in terms of land use and security. As US military facilities expand in designated areas, local communities face displacement and loss of land, leading to reduced livelihoods for farmers. Additionally, the increased military presence heightened tensions in the countryside, causing fear and anxiety to farmer-residents of occupied communities. From January 2022 to March 2023, a total of 1,254 people were affected by aerial bombings connected with EDCA and the Balikatan Exercises, of which 900 farmers and indigenous people lost their homes.

On the other hand, Trump’s penchant for non-diplomacy and callous retaliation is once again an impending peril. His administration carried out targeted drone strikes, including the controversial killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, which escalated tensions with Iran and has placed Filipino migrant workers at risk. Trump also sought to reduce US involvement in longstanding international agreements, such as withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord, the Iran nuclear deal, and the World Health Organization. In exchange of COVID-19 vaccine access, Trump has facilitated Duterte’s granting of pardon to US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was convicted in the Philippines for the 2014 killing of Jennifer Laude during his deployment in the country. This is not to mention Trump’s policies exhibiting fascist tendencies, particularly in their embrace of nationalism and authoritarian rhetoric. His administration often employed inflammatory language against immigrants and minorities, promoting a culture of fear and division, exemplified by the “build the wall” campaign and harsh immigration enforcement measures.

Trump also masterminded the January 6th Movement, which included Filipino-American participants that stormed the Capitol Hill guised as an insurrection in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 Elections where Trump has lost to Biden.

Filipinos and all oppressed peoples around the world should instead unite against imperialism: against its illusion of choice and a promise of a different world come November 5. Philippine foreign policy should not be entwined with the US and its warmongering agenda in the Asia Pacific. Join the call to junk Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and EDCA which continue to terrorize peasant communities in the country!