Gen. Douglas Macarthur (center) and high-ranking officers wade ashore Red Beach in Leyte. President Sergio Osmeña (left), Gen. Carlos P. Romulo (left of MacArthur), and MSG Francisco Salveron (far right), Macarthur's aide de camp, were three Filipinos who accompanied the general to shore. Photo: philnews.com fter seeing the U.S.-backed Afgan government quickly crumble in the face of a Taliban onslaught, we Filipinos have to seriously ask ourselves whether we should put much stock in America as an ally. This query is in no way meant to disparage America. It is simply a clear-eyed assessment that given the way the United States government is set up, and given the continually-changing priorities of Americans, some commitments might be impossible for them to keep. During World War II, before he left the Philippines for Australia, American General Douglas MacArthur uttered his famous phrase: "I shall return." And for the most part, Filipinos took the famous general at his word, kept the faith, and fought the Japanese from the mountains of Luzon, to the jungles of Mindanao. And true to his word, two and a half years later, on Oct. 20, 1944, MacArthur and his men, along with President Sergio Osmena and General Carlos P. Romulo waded ashore in Leyte and declared: “People of the Philippines, I have returned!” But that was then. Most of the men and women who made up that "greatest generation" of Americans have since passed away. Given today's realities, the lesson we Filipinos should take away from the heart-wrenching events unfolding in Afganistan is that we must never rely too heavily on any single ally. The Philippines should cultivate military alliances with many like-minded countries. America will remain our oldest and closest ally, but we should never become overly dependant on it. Our Southeast Asian neighbors, as well as regional powers such as Japan, Australia, and even India, should become part of our group of favored allies. The corollary to having strong strategic alliances is the Philippines must strengthen itself internally as well. In previous editorials, we called for instituting a draft of our young men and women into the military. Our war-fighting skills have to at least be on par with that of our neighbors. Unfortunately, for too long, we have depended on others to defend us. Over the decades, our anemic defense establishment has forced the Philippines to capitulate to regional bullies, and to become overly dependent on the kindness of foreign powers—to paraphrase a line from playwright, Tennessee Williams. It is time we put an end to this defeatist behavior. We Filipinos should instead start building up our military muscle and standing up for ourselves. As the fall of Afganistan to the Taliban has shown, even your staunchest ally can let you down. Published 8/17/2021