Rise of Catholic Biden

BY JOHNNY DAYANG

The contentious polls that catapulted Joe Biden to the U.S. presidency have raised numer­ous observations from both sides of the partisan fence. Es­pecially for the Philippines, this event has created has ramifica­tions, big and small, that will impact the country’s alliance with the U.S.

Biden, the second Roman Catholic to win the U.S. presi­dency, is expected to get some support from his church. Spelled broadly, it translates to 51 million Catholics in the U.S. and 95 million in the Philip­pines. Even if his sect is a mi­nority in the U.S., its connection to Filipinos will somehow cre­ate a subliminal impetus in the country’s downgraded alliance with the U.S.

But the larger role the presi­dent-elect will play is in issues affecting diplomacy, defense, and trade. Considered also as a hardliner in the U.S.-China dis­cussion, Biden will most likely opt for a more robust presence in the China Sea, which should be in the best interest of Filipi­nos.

Conversely, if the next Philip­pine president swings back the country’s primary defense alli­ance to the U.S., the placement of foreign observation outposts in the West Philippine Sea is­lands becomes a non-issue. While the 1987 Constitution explicitly bans foreign military bases in the islands, the sta­tioning of foreign troops has been going on for years in the South.

A highlight that should cre­ate friction with the incumbent Philippine leadership is Biden’s stance on human rights. With that in mind, the president-elect may embrace a policy that will reasonably allow again for a freer and smoother partnership between the two countries.

Biden’s value will also be seen in the legalization of 310,000 unauthorized Pinoy immi­grants and the protection Fili­pino-American interests in the U.S. With 1.9 million Filipinos living there, the figure should be a strong political statement in favor of the president-elect.

In this time of diffidence, Biden’s views on global pan­demic, trade disparities, de­fense collaboration, education­al and technology exchange, diplomatic alliance, labor and employment, and world gov­ernance will be crucial themes the country should take advan­tage of.

A Biden presidency has also definitive and clearer import to the country than Trump’s leadership. Currently, US-Phil­ippine relations are not point­edly warm even if the Palace says otherwise. It was during Trump’s presidency that Presi­dent Rodrigo Duterte revoked the mutual defense pact and withdrew the country’s mem­bership in the International Criminal Court.

That Biden is a diehard Re­publican makes sense for a country whose Constitution proudly proclaims its being a republic. While there are some contentious issues that need to be ironed out along the years, things may be brighter in a non-Trump leadership.