By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
PASIG CITY – The Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSI), a geopolitical think tank, on Friday (Sept. 12) tackled the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Global Governance Initiative: The Philippine Dilemma, saying that the country should now restore an independent foreign policy.
During the media forum, the ACPSSI President Herman “Ka Mentong” Tiu Laurel said that they have been to Cebu for anti-war and People’s Congress for the past several weeks and that they are set to go to Davao for another People’s Congress.
“Despite the issues on the alleged anomalies in government, the ACPSSI is obliged to pursue its mission to disseminate and focus on geopolitical developments that impact on the Philippines,” Laurel said.
“In the first week of September 2025 Human history crossed a momentum threshold that changes its destiny for the next hundred years: India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin,” he added.
“The basis of the SCO Summit 2025 is that all countries, whether big or small, are equal. Equality of all,” Laurel said.
Just days following the SCO Tianjin Summit the BRICS now supply around 40% of the world’s oil, gas and renewable energy.
The success of the SCO and BRICS under the shepherding of China.
Laurel cited the report of the Politico dated Sept. 5, 2025 which says that Pentagon prioritizes homeland security over China threat.
He also cited the Philippine crisis in September 2025 and the US unipolar world where the GDP per capita failing behind the original ASEAN 5 Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia; facing security threat travel advisories from South Korea, U.S., Australia, China, Japan, resulting in the worst performing tourism sector in ASEAN; facing resurgent insurgencies; growing threat of security tensions borne of US imposed strategy of tension; and an exploding social volcano.
An official press release from the Senate dated Nov. 10, 2015, Laurel noted, “the Senate: EDCA is a prohibited treaty wherein voting 15-1-3, senators on Tuesday adopted Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago’s resolution expressing the strong sense of the Senate that, absent their concurrence, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA0 is a treaty prohibited under the Constitution.”
However, 10 years later, Laurel said, the Marcos priorities became the suppression of foreign policy.
Laurel cited a published article on Inquirer.net dated June 18, 2025 wherein the House Spokesperson insists that no solon paid nor forced to sign the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Conditional release sa budget ang dahilan ng impeachment laban kay Sara,” he quoted Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco as saying over a televised interview.
Laurel also cited the Sea Light, which is one of the fronts of project Myushu, which talked about assertive transparency: The Philippines’ counter gray zone innovation which was introduced in February 2025 by the ADR (Albert del Rosario) Strategic Institute that allegedly conducted vilification campaign against China.
On the international stage, Laurel cited the pros and cons in SCO/BRICS vs US ties wherein Henry Kissinger’s infinitely famous quip that “It is dangerous to be an enemy of America. It is fatal to be a friend of America,” can be seen and felt most vividly today in Philippine economic ties with the US where the former has been denied for years its requested Free Trade Agreement.
Laurel enumerated the economic benefits of BRICS membership such as the development of e-commerce within BRICS states, membership in free trade agreements and access to new markers via institutional linkages between BRICS and other international groupings.
He noted India’s opportunities and benefits from the SCO Summit 2025 such as high-level diplomacy, secure agenda, connectivity and trade and cultural diplomacy.
According to Laurel, the Philippines was left behind in the global governance initiative such that while the Philippines struggles with the crisis created by the Unipolar strategies of the US the Global South has gained mutual respect among all nations and delivering real results, among others.
The Global Governance Initiative is joined by three other initiatives. For the Philippines to rise again, he said “the Philippines should take the US shift away from cross-oceanic strategy of conflict to homeland defense as an opportunity to back away from the ill-conceived “Pivot to the U.S.”
For the Philippines to recover from its crisis, Laurel said “It must immediately restore its independence and sovereignty to refocus on building national unity and purpose.”
“The Philippines should immediately abandon the unholy compliance with the Unipolar ambitions of the US and its ‘containment of China and Asia’ strategy,” he added.
“The US shift away from cross-oceanic strategy of tension and conflict to homeland defense is an opportunity for the Philippines to back away from the ill-conceived “Pivot to the US,” Laurel said.
“Now is the time to restore the Independent Foreign Policy and return to ASEAN Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN),” he added.
“There is no conflict between Taiwan and mainland China. Two million Taiwanese are working in China,” Laurel said.
“Because of the US tariff, Dole Philippines, a Filipino company, has closed down two weeks ago, affecting 30,000 jobs,” he added.
ACPSSI Vice President for Internal Affairs Ado Paglinawan said “as we speak, Taiwan is facing an increasing tension with China.”
In the Philippines, Paglinawan said, treaties are recognized as part of the law of the land, and adherence to treaty obligations is constitutionally mandated in Article II, Section 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states: “The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations.”
Paglinawan said that the United States is already preparing or on a “war footing” with China using the Philippines as a “forward base”.
“In about 15 minutes, all the American bases will be reduced to cinders,” he added.
Paglinawan cited the strategic 5 island chains wherein the concept of the first and Second island chains is a strategic framework for containing China was created by Joint Foster Dulles, the US Secretary of State, in 1951.
He added that Dulles proposed as early as 2007, or 18 years ago, as there was already the China’s Dong Feng (DF) missile technology circa 2007, which is related to long-range ballistic missile family, which has 5,000 plus kilometers range, and difficult to intercept.
Paglinawan also cited Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
“China will not target Filipino civilian population because you know, 30% of our population have Chinese lineage,” Paglinawan said.
“The United States is not even a member of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We are clearly being used as a pawn of the United States,” he added.
“Why would the United States defend Taiwan when Taiwan can defend itself,” Paglinawan said, citing the Vietnam war where the United States was heavily involved.
“The Taiwanese government has been preparing even their schoolchildren for war against China and the United States is telling them that they are ready to help,” he added.
“The reason why they (US) is now delegating to Australia, Japan because of the scarce sources of war materials and the seeming economic recession in the United States,” Paglinawan said.
He added that US President Donald J. Trump was not joking when he advised President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. “to deal with China and it will do you good and economically beneficial to your country.”
“There will be no war between China and Taiwan,” Paglinawan said.
“The war is over when Japan invaded Manchuria and Hiroshima was bombed on Aug. 6, 1945 and three days later (Aug. 9, 1945) Nagasaki was also bombed, ending World War II,” he added.
“It’s time for our countrymen to unite in order to save ourselves from imminent danger,” Paglinawan said.
“May pera sa bala,” Paglinawan said. He was referring to the alleged anomalies in the procurement of overpriced military armaments and materials.
He cited the alleged absence of a certificate of renunciation of citizenship of Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro of his Maltese citizenship.
Teodoro earlier issued a statement that he has surrendered and renounced his Maltese passport.
“Submission of an affidavit that he has complied with legal requirements is empty talk,” the ACPSSI said.
“Teodoro must present Immigration certificate that he has reacquired his Filipino citizenship,” it added.
The ACPSSI added that Teodoro must present a Maltese Certificate of Renunciation of Citizenship.
Paglinawan also said that the number of EDCA Sites in the Philippines is not only 9, but according to Senator Imee Marcos, it could even reach 25 EDCA sites in the country.
“The Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) should be abrogated already because it is now a Multipolar World,” he said.
“Since 2012, China has already de facto control over the Scarborough Shoal,” Paglinawan said. He quoted a policy statement of Secretary Henry Kissinger in 1975 on the MDT.
ACPSSI President Herman “Ka Mentong” Laurel is inviting and challenging National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Ano to present his evidence on the alleged destruction of the corals in the South China Sea, especially the Scarborough Shoal, since 2012 and the ACPSSI will also present official reports of cyanide and dynamite fishing in the Scarborough Shoal as pieces of evidence.
Paglinawan said that Japan has surrendered to the People’s Republic of China (PROC) all the territories and islands Japan invaded in 1943 as ordered by the Cairo Conference and as directed by US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
He advised Ano if he has already read the Arbitral ruling which says that its ruling has nothing to do with the “historic claim” of China, despite of all these, China is entitled to its claims based on the UNCLOS.
He added that Ano should believe Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela who said “the Philippines lost control of Bajo de Masinloc after the Scarborough Shoal standoff.”
Paglinawan also cited the Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa, is already building a bullet train.###
