Proxy State: How Deep Is the US Grip on the Philippines?

Prof. Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy in-depth interview with Ileana Chan for Episode 52 of the Global Majority for Peace Podcast. For the link, refer below.

In this episode, Ileana and I examined how the Philippines has become a proxy state in the US-led Indo-Pacific Strategy. As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. prepares to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026, we discussed how Manila’s deepening military ties with the US and its allies are reshaping the region’s strategic direction while sacrificing Philippine sovereignty.

We also unpacked the risks of proxy war escalation, the media-driven rise in anti-China sentiment in the Philippines, and the economic vulnerabilities flagged by Bank of America. We also narrowed our discussion on the ICC case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, and explained why the spectacle puts the Philippines, not just Duterte, on trial.

More particularly, we discussed the following questions:

  1. Could we start with you telling us about the origin of your politicization? Was there a particular incident that led you to your worldview?
  2. Can you give us your assessment of how Marcos Jr. will seek to influence ASEAN’s strategic direction next year (1996), when the Philippines assumes the ASEAN Chairmanship? And considering the Philippines’ further alignment with the US, how successful will this likely be?
  3. In your article, “The Hidden Costs of Manila’s New Strategic Centrality”, you discuss The Diplomat’s article by Michael Mazza entitled, “The World’s Taiwan Strategy Runs through the Philippines”. On this podcast, we discussed how the US is eyeing a war with China by 2027, which we believe will most likely be fought through proxies in that region. The Philippines seems to be one of the primary targets. If you agree with this assessment, can you help us break down indications of escalation?
  4. In Western Media, the Philippines is consistently framed as a victim in the South China Sea, bullied by water cannons and aggressive Chinese vessels. How much of this narrative rhetoric is working on the general Filipino public? Are you seeing a rise in anti-China sentiment?
  5. According to Bank of America, the Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country facing sustained deterioration in its current account, making it the country with the “weakest external position in Southeast Asia”. Can you break down the factors responsible for this?
  6. On 12 March 2025, former President Rodrigo Duterte was brought to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for suspected crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder. Can you help break down the case for those who may not be familiar with it, and give us an update on its status?
  7. The crimes that Duterte is accused of are egregious; he is being charged with being criminally responsible for thousands of extrajudicial killings carried out between July 1, 2016, and March 16, 2019, during his presidency. Yet in your article for The Lobbyist, “Surrendering Sovereignty: The ICC Spectacle and Our National Disgrace”, you write that “What is truly on trial here is not Duterte. It is the Philippines itself.” Can you unpack what you mean?

Source: Empire Watch (YouTube Channel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKd2mjBIFjA

Prof. Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy

Prof. Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD), Peking University, Beijing, China. Currently, she is a Senior Researcher of the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) and a Senior Research Fellow of the Global Governance Institution (GGI). Prof. Anna Uy taught Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies, European Studies, Southeast Asia, and China Studies. She is a researcher-writer, academic, and consultant on a wide array of issues. She has worked as a consultant with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other local and international NGOs.