As we ponder the future use of the islands for military exercises, Republic of the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte plans a visit to China this month that could redraw alliances in East Asia. As this heads out the door, the U.S. is saying our relation with the republic is \u201cironclad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Duterte wants to pursue a more independent foreign policy than it has in the past. \u201cEver since President Duterte took office, China and the Philippines have been engaging in friendly interactions, which have yielded a series of positive results,\u201d Zhao Jianhua, the Chinese ambassador to Manila, said at a Chinese National Day reception at the embassy last week per a Reuters news report.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clouds are fading away. The sun is rising over the horizon, and will shine beautifully on the new chapter of bilateral relations,\u201d Zhao said. But Japan too has invested heavily in the Philippines and could well be the arm the U.S. would employ to influence steady policy in East Asia to keep China at ease. The Philippines is closer to mainland China than the CNMI. What role would we play in a fast changing shift in alliances?<\/p>\n
Freedom of the press<\/strong><\/p>\n Through the years, the CNMI gradually embraced the news media as the right forum for information and exchange of views. It\u2019s a good place to promote healthy discussion among citizenry.<\/p>\n Having walked up this alley for over 40 years with my late brother, we were privy to seeing how the press evolved from the \u201cfreest\u201d press to one of responsibility. Eventually, slander and libel laws discouraged use of the press as a tool for ferocious vulgarity and savage defamation.<\/p>\n Today, the news media has become our primary source of information. The digital age brought in social media with tons of information but people who post materials aren\u2019t required to ensure accuracy nor are they equipped with the journalistic discipline to present the truth in spreading good or bad tidings. So exercise caution when using the social media for information.<\/p>\n About the only reason that I wake up before the break of dawn is to review online editions of local and major global publications like my favorite Wall Street Journal, Asian edition. I would then slide into other materials from national foundations, etc. I\u2019ve got my own favorite columnists like Charles Krauthammer and George Will. I\u2019d read others depending on issues of interest. Otherwise, I\u2019ve got books written by islanders (highly esteemed intellectuals) I\u2019d plow right in to explore their views on colonization, decolonization to deculturation, etc.<\/p>\n The press has kept government on its toes. Indeed, we\u2019ve seen how careers were ruined permanently by major errors in judgment against the self or violation of the public interest. It takes the re-awakening of \u201cwe the people\u201d and the active role of the press to usher in needed change. I expect this happening once more this November.<\/p>\n While community members may not readily reveal their thoughts or feelings, it doesn\u2019t mean ignorance. Trust me, they know more than their silence is golden demeanor.<\/p>\n The other vital side to this equation is what\u2019s known as reading! Our people in all walks of life must be able to read and understand the printed word. Yes, we\u2019ve come a long way on this score through education. How gratifying it would be if someday the CNMI attains a fully informed citizenry taking issues beyond linear thinking. It should lead to thorough discussion and disposition of issues before us.<\/p>\n The $-million riddle<\/strong><\/p>\n A friend replied to the query of the gross of the $37 million fee Best Sunshine pays the CNMI. He has the right answer while asserting that the CNMI has been had in a deal that needed thorough review. How true that it was a rushed and hushed deal!<\/p>\n It was tiptoed through the two chambers when the island went snoozing. The guys and gals came out with injured conscience and on wheelchairs for life. Appalling, though, the aura of invincibility. Casino would permanently change what\u2019s left of the heritage of these isles. Interesting the warped view that vacuous measures would strengthen the very institution and pillar of tradition that lacked foresight. Whatever happened to common sense? How could you have missed the obvious connection?<\/p>\n Friends, in a democracy nothing\u2019s stronger than the voice of the people. The tenure of legislators is limited and easily ended when \u201cwe the people\u201d decide it\u2019s against our interest that lapdogs now fill the two chambers on the hill. It piques my interest, though, whether the $7 billion integrated resort would make it in these very interesting times. Something\u2019s amiss here, right?<\/p>\n Long bombs<\/strong><\/p>\n It is known among Pacific intellectuals and scholars as the \u201clong bombs\u201d of imperialism\u2014what the colonial power brought here\u2014that turned into a way of life. How do we uproot it? Impossible! Even our national government isn\u2019t sure of the effects of the money economy. But it\u2019s here to stay! Traditional mode of life is basically history!<\/p>\n Interesting their availing of funds for such programs as cultural revival including the local language. We brave spouting that our culture is itself a renaissance. Is this why we continue redundancy bringing external experts to tell us what we already know? I mean it reminds me of the adage, \u201cAfter all is said and done a lot more is said than done.\u201d And we return the following year repeating the same polished failure!<\/p>\n The heritage of these isles would survive if we buckle down to practicing it daily. It would live in perpetuity and we need not employ the phrase \u201ccultural preservation\u201d to pretend we\u2019re doing something about it. Live it! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we ponder the future use of the islands for military exercises, Republic of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[169,26,21,67],"class_list":["post-238179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","tag-china","tag-cnmi","tag-life","tag-people"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238179\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}