One PH promotes foreign policy as key election issue

THE  RUSSIA-Ukraine conflict has posed challenges for leaders across the globe. In the Philippines, the effects are mostly felt in the high prices of petroleum products and other  commodities. These developments have prompted candidates and incumbent politicians alike to propose solutions that will ease the resulting burden on the citizenry. 

CMFR has highlighted the need for including foreign policy as a critical issue in evaluating candidates. Voters need  to appreciate the importance of international affairs in this global age. There are very few developments anywhere in the world that will not be felt by other countries. 

CMFR cheers One PH for dedicating a segment of its Sa Totoo Lang program to foreign policy. It featured an interview with Orlando “Orly” Mercado, former Defense Minister  by hosts Jove Francisco and Maricel Halili. 

A day before the interview, Mercado had issued a press statement calling on candidates not to “sugarcoat” the effects of the strife in Europe on the Philippines. Francisco opened the discussion with that statement. 

Mercado  stressed the need for candidates to bare their policy agenda during the campaign period, which he said would allow voters to make better and informed  choices. The former senator also pushed for lengthier foreign policy portions during debates and fora – some of which, he reminded, allotted only one to two minutes per topic.

Mercado raised the alarm about Russia’s violations of international law, and hailed the position of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to sign on to the United Nations’ formal condemnation of Russia’s military operations. Moreover, the former Defense secretary drew out situations of aggression toward the Philippines that “could emerge,” citing our proximity to Taiwan and China.

Mercado lamented the administration’s  “mixed signals” on Ukraine, referring to President Duterte’s insistence on Philippine neutrality. He called on the administration to set foreign policy directions so as to keep overseas Filipino workers out of harm’s way and secure the flow of foreign currency into the country. 

It is important for voters to see a candidate’s capacity to add “strategic plans” to his or her  foreign policy—plans that can be pursued continually across different administrations, Mercado continued. 

The program gave Mercado   11 minutes of the 17-minute interview to discuss foreign policy issues.  In the remaining part, Francisco and Halili asked about recent allegations of communist infiltrators in the Robredo campaign, poll surveys, and the importance of candidates’ readiness to take questions in forums and debates. 

There should be more such discussions in the campaign coverage, so as to give voters the information they need and to expand the political discussion enough for the electorate to choose better leaders this May.