Filipinos should not fear getting caught in the middle of a conflict
between the United States and China, as President Duterte explores new
Asian alliances, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said here on
Saturday.
The dispute over the West Philippine Sea, notwithstanding, “the US
and China will not go to war,” Lorenzana said, because both countries
are more inclined to protect their economies which rely on good trade
relations.
Such a conflict may result in the use of nuclear weapons which would
be too devastating for both sides, he said on the sidelines of the
recognition rites for new cadets of the Philippine Military Academy
(PMA).
“The US and China know that…which is why both countries have been
very careful not to make miscalculations,” he said, adding that “a
conflict now is farfetched.”
Lorenzana led the recognition rites for 368 members of PMA
“Masidlawin” Class of 2020 during the academy’s 118th Foundation Day
celebration.
Addressing the new cadets, Lorenzana advised them to understand the
changes taking place in the country today. He said people “must not be
carried away by change for the sake of change,” although they must also
“not keep to their ways that would stop them from changing with the
times.”
He said the PMA, the military and the public must find the proper balance.
Shaped by history
“The PMA must go hand-in-hand with the progress of society as it
becomes more developed…as it discovers anew its place among the
community of nations,” he said. “The academy must also keep pace with
the times.”
He said the PMA has been shaped by history, from the creation of the
Academia Militar during the Philippine Revolution on Oct. 29, 1898, to
the academy that dealt with “the brutal episodes in our nation’s
history” and the return of democracy in 1986.
A member of PMA Class of 1973, Lorenzana took part in the recognition
rites which required underclassmen to bend as far back as they are able
and hold that position until they are pulled up by upperclassmen to
signify they now belong to the cadet corps.
Lorenzana pulled up Masidlawin cadets who were related to retired military officers.
Later in a news briefing, Lorenzana said the government needs to
study what benefits the military would get from an alliance with China
and other countries.
“The President did not instruct us to buy military equipment at once. He told us to study what we need,” he said.
Lorenzana assured the cadets they would graduate and hold military
positions in a “well-armed, well-equipped military under the term of Mr.
Duterte.”
He said Mr. Duterte was not “too stingy about his support for
modernization.” “[To] the class of cadets who will graduate next
year…you will have your new jets…you will have more ships,” he said.
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