In this B-Side episode, Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, explains the valuable lessons the Philippines and the region should take away from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“It is important for countries to seek diplomacy, but also to seek readiness to respond to contingency — in this case, a credible military for both big and small states alike,” Mr. Koh tells BusinessWorld reporter Luz Wendy T. Noble.
The next Commander-in-Chief of the Philippines, he added, will have to balance the defense of territorial sovereignty and internal security. In recent years, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has had to address insurgencies following the Marawi Siege, and the emergence of ISIS-related groups on the local front; and, on the external front, the maritime dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea.
“Would it be possible for the AFP to relegate some of these roles to other agencies to focus on its traditional role of external defense? ... Will this change the country’s posture in the West Philippine Sea?” Mr. Koh said.
Recorded remotely on April 28, 2022. Produced by Earl R. Lagundino and Sam L. Marcelo.
