Why is the Philippines still enjoying cordial relations with Russia?

[ASEAN NOW News]

The war being waged by Russia against Ukraine is unjustifiable and cruel, and must be stopped immediately.

 

That is the official position of the Republic of the Philippines by virtue of its affirmative vote back on March 2  at the UN General Assembly resolution, condemning Russia's actions and demanding that hostilities cease.

 

According to an article in the Manila Times recently the stated that it is high time the government and the Philippine business community honor that position, cooperate with the sanctions imposed on Russia by Europe, the United States, and much of the rest of the world, and otherwise suspend business and exchange activities with the aggressor.

 

To be sure, we take no pleasure in making this call to action.

 

The Philippines has enjoyed good relations with Russia, and until it launched its invasion of Ukraine, there were bright prospects of even larger opportunities in the areas of trade, energy, tourism, and cultural exchange.

 

We fervently hope that these opportunities will still exist in the future.

 

Sanctions

 

The official stance is that The Philippines imposes financial sanctions in relation to terrorism financing. The relevant laws are Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (“ATA”) and Republic Act No. 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 (“TFPSA”).

 

Meanwhile Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III told Bloomberg last Wednesday that given the Philippines’ limited trade with both Russia and Ukraine, the financial and trade sanctions slapped on Russia by Western countries would have no direct impact on the domestic economy.

 

Moral imperative

 

As the Philippines has already expressed its official position on the war, at UN General Assembly, perhaps "putting our money where our mouth is," so to speak, is a moral imperative.

 

That is an important enough reason to sanction Russia, but there are actually even more practical reasons for doing so.

 

The first reason is national self-interest.

 

As the US, Europe and other nations have imposed a wide range of severe economic sanctions on Russia, the government and business sector of the Philippines face a significant risk of being caught up in them.

 

 

At least two high-profile deals between the Philippines and Russia are directly subject to Western sanctions, these being the Department of National Defense's contract to purchase Russian-built Mil Mi-17 helicopters.

 

Plus, the agreement between the government and the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom for the development of nuclear energy in the Philippines.

 

Both arrangements should be immediately suspended, as it is entirely likely that any attempt to push through with them while the other sanctions are in place will lead to punitive action being taken against the Philippines.

 

By suspending business with Russia, cooperating with, or at least complementing the sanctions already imposed, the Philippines will be doing its part to help bring the conflict to an end.

 

That, after all, is what everyone should want, and if this country can play a part in hastening the conclusion, it should not hesitate to do so.

 

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[bangon04]

Ask a Filipino to point to the eastern border of Russia on a map.......