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tv   Worlds Apart  RT  May 29, 2022 4:30am-5:01am EDT

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apply in politics, but in the case of the recent elections in the philippines, it seems a remarkably relevant may hold help, not just one, but 2 political dynasties to return they in power despite their rather contentious legacies, white families, politics, so attractive to filipinos. well, just go for them now joined by eric o guy, political science professor at the university of the philippines. dillman are guys great to talk to you. thank you very much for your time. thanks for having snow filipino politics over the last couple of figures. i wasn't boring at all, but even by your boisterous rather boisterous vendors. i think the latest elections produced rather remarkable results. we have the son of an ousted and disgraced leader, often described as a, as a brutal dictator, being chosen as president the life and the daughter of a pretty controversial outgoing president. also often described as
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a dictator and now being elected as a vice president. this is an amazing ticket. i don't think we have seen anything of the sort in recent years in global politics. what does it say about the aspirations of filipino voters? well, we're, we did not just elect a president in a vice president coming from 2 of the most powerful of political families in the philippines. but they were elected, overwhelmingly wait with the majority mandate of the latest count is that both of them almost got around 58 percent of the vote. and in our system we don't have a run of elections that assures a majority mandate. we only have a plurality system, so is the 1st time that a president and a vice president has been elected by a majority since democracy was restored in 1086. and for that majority mandate to be earned by 2 children of
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a former presidents may sit really an astounding electoral outcome. it seems like the, the majority has spoken, but we know that as you have said, this electoral campaign has been very polarizing and pops it. at the very least, you mentioned that it's quite a sounding, it's as founding, not only because of the solid numbers that they got, and it's, it's pretty remarkable in this day and age for an approval ratings around the world . a pretty low people have very, very little in, in politics world wide, but was it yet? what is even more astounding is that them, you know, this restoration of a democracy that you mentioned actually happened after the ousting of a, of the father of, of one of the elected leaders. so, how do you explain this, sir? very remarkable reversal of political fortunes. well, in, in the 1st place, ah, we did not see marcus junior and cited the tear to get
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a go head to head. so instead of competing with one another, which would have been altered the, the outcome. and i do think that outside the tear, they might have the advantage here simply because she's the daughter of the present or the outgoing president. but because they did not compete, they even what i called cartilage themselves. they formed what they call a dynasty cartel, a cartel of dynasties, with support from another. former president was also a, an offspring of a previous president. busy him up about the royal who forged the alliance. so basically you have this cartel of dynasties saying that we're not going to compete with one another. and like before, we're gonna team up and therefore really band together and ensure that there will be no competition. i know that under your system, and you already mentioned that different than the vice president elected separately . even though marcus and terence engineers campaigned, under the seem of unity,
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i think they even called the political pairing unit team. do you think this semblance of unity or them saying on one page will, will remain once they get to the very tedious and sometimes very contentious business of governing. right. 4 there been doubts because as i said, dynasties have not cartilage like this before. and there are a few coalitions, but normally those coalitions are don't be last long because there's no credible commitment to stay the course. simply because politics is a, a winner take all thing in the philippines. so it means that if you're the one ruling, then you can simply say, i'm not gonna share power, right? but if this cartel this alliance between the marcus's and the tear does somehow get reflected throughout the next 6 years, this i would even called promiscuous power sharing. would even mean that perhaps it
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would be sorry that they're did let me run in 2020 with another mark course as a, as a running mate. and then they will just switch. and this will happen for years and years simply because the dynasty card dale will solidify. however, we do know that filipinos get tired of the same brad over and over again. and i think this is the beauty of democracy. filipinos can then choose other brad, specially if they don't perform well. now, speaking about brands are both among marcus and sarah to terry are very colorful personalities. and i think it was somewhat similar political paths, not only in terms of their family legacy, but also in terms of their governing experiences, both on the taste of a governing, regional own marital governing fairly young in their early a late twenty's. and so they bring something to the table apart from their family
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names as well. is it fair to pain them only as hairs you influential plans or do they have something to show on an individual basis? right. a marcus junior became governor of a province of north, it was hired to tear to became near of the city in which she replaced our her father, the the current president rodrigo, to target. so they had local government experience. although in comparison with, with their parents, i would say that they still have to prove their mettle, that they will still have to get out of the shadows of their parents. and i think part of getting out of that shadow is really either i, are they just gonna be clothes of their parents, or are they going to do something different? are they just going to mimic, or are they going to be a different kind of a dinah, something that will modernize the country and move the country forward if they're,
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if they're really slow, if their slogan is really unity, i do think they have to do more than simply copy paste from their father. well, i don't know about you, but i have been fascinated vice are the tear there. and i from what i've read of her, she's if really a rebellious personality. she described her own relationship with her father as a love hate one. she defied him on many occasions, even though he himself, i invested in her education and saw her as you know, as a, as a very bright child. what about marcus junior? how would you characterize he's relationship with his immediate and broader family? yes, let us remember that president the terror they wanted. sorry, the targets run for president. that was supposed to be the original plan, but sorry, the terry this settled to run for vice president. and i'm, she has not had the very good relationship, even with the allies and the party of, of president the territory. and this is why she somehow wanted to charge her own
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course and aligning with the marcus is and, and glory. i'm up about royal was more like an initiative of sarah that i am going to charge my own political pass on my own. i need be a detective, but i'm not just going to be under his shadow. marcus, on the other hand, is a bit different because in my own take, i do think this presidency is not just about bumble marcus himself. this is about the dynasty, the marcus dynasty ruley, the country. so we, because the, the elder sister is a shifting senator of the republic of his son is going to be a member of parliament of the house of representatives. so we see the dynasty occupying certain positions solidifying their theirs, but just let them support poppy. the family events, i think that's the big difference, sarah might be more of a lone wolf. while marcus junior will be ruling on behalf of house that there of
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house marcus. but he or will still be doing that ruling or governing depending on your point of view, political point of view, i guess with the popular support, he didn't just inherit that he had to win it at the polls. i get it correctly. yes . but because he, he campaigned using authoritarian the style, ge, and fancy. so and the, the, the network of this information and propaganda has been built since he ran for vice president in 2016. that was relentless. and i'm not even the other campaigns was able to catch up because the other campaign simply started last year, while marcus junior and the marcus family has been planning this. because if the marquess has really want to grab power, they could have bron in 2016 against the 3rd day. they could have run in 2010 against the son of corners, or knocking of that would have been
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a battle for that would be freely. manila, the son of an aquino versus the son of michaels, but we didn't see that they bided their time. they waited for the right opportunity . and in the end president the terrace is governance populace of martin. paid the way for a mark was junior presidents. i've heard many western commentators accusing marcus junior of being extremely populous than you know, making promises that he may not be able to sal sales. specifically, when it comes to the pledge of decreasing living standards are decreasing living expenses rather, and a increasing living sanders. given that food and fuel prices are rising all around the world, cham his government, and deliver on the promises that they made. right? that is the challenge in the philippines in filthy politics. we have a saying, it's easy to run and when the more difficult parties governing. so marcus jr is
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transitioning from marcus junior. the candidate to mark was junior the ruler or the governor. so this means that he set up it for himself, high expectations by making all those glimmering promises of lower rice prizes of jobs, of infrastructure. and the philippine economy is in heavy decline. we. we had the steepest decline in southeast asia. and guess what? the, the outgoing, the 3rd administration is already saying that the only way to recover is new taxes . so that's going to be a challenge for markets junior. okay, well we have to take a short break professor for the time being, but we'll be back to this fascinating discussion in just a few moments session. ah, how
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ah what we've got to do is identify the threats that we have. it's crazy, even foundation, let it be an arms race is on often very dramatic development. only personally, i'm going to resist. i don't see how that strategy will be successfully, very critical time. time to sit down and talk
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ah welcome back to point to both areas are ok. political science professor at the university of philippines, dillman, professor before the break group discuss primarily domestic implications. busy of the may vote, but for many of our international viewers, the most interesting question is that of the philippines geopolitical orientation. because for decades your country has been a close geo political and military ally of the united states. something that may have started changing under president rodrigo the 10. do you expect that more of the same under the m mark was detailed to junior team. let us remember if we look
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at previews philippine presidents with the exception of president care day, each of the philippine president for dylan marcus senior, tried to hedge between great powers in the region, notably they knighted states china and even other countries. so this is the default ah, position of any new president. with the exception of rodrigo, the there who instantly pivoted the china and um, almost an aggregated the visiting for disagreement with united states, a marquess junior presidency, and we've seen some hence of that with him meeting with the officials from the united states, from china are from from other countries, japan, et cetera. marcus junior doesn't have the personal baggage, unlike rodrigo, the terror day and has actually not read in ah, the mutual defense treaty. on the other hand, we also know that mark was junior,
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has very close relations with china. when he was governor of his province, he set up a consulate of china in his home province. that's how he wanted to be close to china. so, i think what will happen here is that the marcus junior will try to of do a, a delicate balancing act. but as we will see, this, my change in the coming years, depending on how that hedging will, will be successful or not. how professor, you mentioned before that mark as junior comes to power with no prior to political baggage, but as far as i understand, and he has some outstanding legal issues with the american justice system. he and his mother at defied a court order. i'm asking them to pays me for him to see if it's the $1000000.00 to the elijah victims of human rights abuses during his father's thompson office. how do you see this case progressing from now on day thing?
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it may be reopened, or do you think it may be forgotten, right? when, when do as president by called down bikers junior. i doubt whether that was one of the topics that that was discussed. i do think that what will happen here most likely is that marcus junior won't be treated as marcus junior. i'm a citizen, but marcus junior as head of state, and therefore will be granted sovereign immunity. and this will allow him, for example, to visit the united states. something that president prepared there was not able to do is the only philippine president that does not visited any country in the west. when he was president. the, the most western frontier that he visited is actually russia and so, so this makes mark was junior a bit, have a bit more flexibility. and, and despite this case, i do think that the night that states will not sacrifice its strategic interests in the philippines. and in the region over this case. well professor,
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i agree with the rental, history and nonsense, quite a few public figures from nelson mandela in a random audi who were once banned from entering the united states. and once washington found some political expediency, those restrictions were lifted. but i think there is, there is a difficulty in this particular case in that it's simply so massive. i'm in the, the marker senior regime was accused of such atrocities that forgetting about those allotted crimes at this point of time may not reflect very well on the, on the united states and divide an administration which supposedly places human rights concerns at the, at the center of its policies, i understand that the market family may well from that decision, but the thing the united states politically can afford to do that. the false, the factor that needs to be monitored here also is u. s. domestic politics. we know
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that bite and will be up for reelection, and that the democrats hold on on both houses of their congress is also god is also precarious. so let's say of a trump wince again, or as a republican politician that will somehow even massage the. i think the case even more and more given to the human rights democracy, pushed that the by did administration has been doing the call of bite into marcus junior, for me was very symbolic because i think they nighted states really messed up when it didn't reach out to president the care day, when he won in 2016, they thought that well the philippines is an old ally, so it wouldn't stray far. but we, the charity has shown that it could, it could conduct an independent foreign policy. so they, they're very careful with how they're dealing with, marcus jeered present. but on the other hand, professor are present to charity. as you said, a threatened to your, you know,
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walked away from the visiting courses agreements a couple of times with and then at the end of the day, he didn't. why do you think he didn't? oh, it's luck. mainly because of the pandemic. ah, we must remember that the philippines has had one of the worst pandemic responses in around 20202021. and i'm, when, when the biden administration took over, and this allowed a, an opening for the us to reach out to the philippines and asked for what it needs the, the detect administration. and the 3rd himself even said in one, 0, one of his weekly addresses that i'm not gonna hostage the v of a if they big vaccines. and that's what the u. s. actually did. it was a lost opportunity for china because china just kept on selling us back seeds rather than really competing with the philippines for that response. and is why the terry has stopped with his anti respiratory and has actually started invoking the
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arbitrage ruling against china in the last 2 years of all throughout this discussion that we've been sorta touching on. this is very delicate choice. that manila has to make between a washington in beijing and marcus junior, already described a moneyless relationship with washington as for very important, but at the same time, he also said what you said that he's country will have to walk a very, very fine line between china and the united states, and in, in your view, what would represent this optimal balance? as far as the philippines are concerned of sun, i think it's, it's what every se, asian country tries to do. and, and that is a rely on the united states for security and defense, while at the same time relying on china for economics and for trade. this, the coupling is precarious, meaning other,
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southeast asian countries have failed in their attempts. and the philippines is not used to this because for the longest time, its economy was also peg with the u. s. the west. so therefore, this is a challenge for the incoming marcus junior administration. while the detect administration and the president president there has opened the line with, with china. marcus dell will have the challenge of maintaining it and expanding it, but not to somehow intimidate or some of give us a signal to the united states that it is going to undermine it. security obligations on the mutual defense treaty because of closer economic relations, which is present. joe biden has just wrapped up his asian visit during which he made a lot of lofty speeches and didn't hide his intention to build an economic block, an asian economic block against china. would it be fair to say that at this point,
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the united states reads the philippines more than the philippines need? do united states, you wouldn't hear washington admit that? ah, because on the other hand of pundits in washington would even say that this isn't a symmetrical relationship. because it isn't always a name when you say that about this country. you know, if those are the only country in the world whose interests are worth considering. right, right. but i do say that they saw that even the most pro western country in southeast asia could be, could, could drift, could drift away. and all that enabled the us to somehow pay more attention to the region. but the skeptics in us are always saying that the u. s. is, is always like this, but it tends to say that, oh yes. where in asia you're very important, but they don't walk the walk. if you look at how they're that the funds that are coming in are where'd, where the money is going. it's not going to asia,
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even if their strategic competitor is in the region and not somewhere in the middle east or. well, that leads me to my next question because i know that the country has just signed up to this new india pacific economic framework, which is supposed to be some sort of an alternative to china's felton road initiative. but unlike the chinese americans, you know they, they, they are offering a lot of, again, love to speeches, abide about values and what have you been very little in terms of material benefits, you know, preferential market access loans, infrastructure, what have you, everything that the chinese are ready to provide what are the potential benefits of formula in this new us lat, economic grouping? because you mentioned before that there has always been bifurcation of relying on the united states for the military support and on china for the economy support. now that you have signed up to these new economic,
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or even though it's very abstract, a grouping, would you have to sacrifice a some of your economic relationship, economic ties for beijing under the terry, the administration. it's primary economic program is what we call an infrastructure program. called build, build built. yes we, we just repeat, build 3 times. marcus junior has a pledge to continue this. and in fact, if it's a good pledge because only 10 percent of the b r, i projects that links with our build build build program has been implemented. and this is because of the bureaucratic delays on the philippines side. more than on the chinese site. however, i do think that because they're still a grave need for infrastructure, there are still gaps. but at the moment the santa, if you would look at who really supports infrastructure programs in the philippines is aquila china or the u. s. is actually japan. so japan has been pouring in a lot of grants and aid and loans on infrastructure more than the united states and
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definitely more than china. so i do think that if this in the pacific economic framework will work, it must not be just purely as the u. s pouring in money in the region, but it would really need to be a bit more multi lateral on that. because at the end, i see on countries like the philippines are very distrustful of being asked to choose between the us and china. so therefore, middle powers, like japan and others might become more palatable to, to us in countries was afraid of being crushed by these 2 superpowers. or speaking about japan awhile present. but it was in japan, there was also a lot of talk about a hot conflict. similar to the one that's in russia and nato over ukraine, rafting in your part of the world. how high is, is, is a threat of that in your, you? well, the, it of, before the russia plane conflict, the flashpoint in southeast asia, in,
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in the south china sea and the east china c. as, as always been there, i can distinctly remember that the, the threat was in the korean peninsula in taiwan, in the east china territorial. this is china, sea territory dispute in the south china sea 3rd part of this. so you have all these flash voids and therefore anything could could happen if the tensions are not managed carefully. so therefore, i do think a lot of countries in us in including the philippines are very wary of this strategic competition. because in the and small states like the philippines and its neighbors in asi on, are going to be victims in this chest game. and, oh, what exactly can you do on this from because i am for your heard present guidance. our latest announcement that the, the united states will intervene to defend taiwan militarily. and even though there are various interpretations of that of that statement, i'm sure it was taken with
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a lot of apprehension in your region, especially considering that the chinese navy, as we know, is larger than the american navy in those 2 navies come to class how far do you think it may go and how it may influence you? rem? yes. remember of all, darcy and countries only the philippine shares a maritime boundary with taiwan. so if a flash find conflict in taiwan will happen, of all the 10 us in countries, it is the philippines that's, that's going to be pulled in immediately. and therefore, i think the filming interest here is to ensure that the cooler heads prevail to mobilize with other small countries in southeast asia, through the asi and framework. we know that i see on is significantly challenge as of today. but we need to make assay. and work in a looming conflict in the asia pacific region, particularly in the taiwan strait i. it's important that i see an be used as a platform convening platform for all these super powers middle powers and small
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powers to be able to use multi lateral channels. and manage the tensions because if not, i don't think it's in any interest of, of any country or stakeholder in the region for a conflict in the straight to happen any time soon. well, professor r v, i think it's pretty evident after the very tragic a experience of ukraine and the last thing this world needs is another war. anyway, we have to leave it there. thank you very much for your insights today. thank you for this invitation and thank you for featuring the filters. and thank you for watching hope to see you next time on the world to part with . mm
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hm. ah ah . ah, during the 2nd world war and nazi occupied poland valencia was a farming region. today is part of ukraine. between 19431945 members of the ukrainian insurgent army led by step on bendara could thousands of poles in virginia. in a diabolical ethnic cleansing process, the murders were particularly horrific and brutal villages were burned and property looted. of aline, a massacre is without doubt, one of the bloodiest episodes in polish ukrainian history. why our ukrainian
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politicians are still reluctant to talk about these events. how to modern day ukraine and poland view this tragedy of the past. and why does the memory of belinda still divide people ah, in spring 2022, europe began closing ports to russian vessels, one after another. they sanctions package bars, russian flags vessels from entering. you port belgium, bulgaria, 20 a romania tuna. lee announced that there would be close to russian ships crash. and karen gas, i'll call compound nichols. emma iran or and not covers visor. bands is similar. decision was taken by canada, him later by the united states. ah .

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