Senate Deputy Minority Leader Rodante Marcoleta and Senator Imee Marcos on Friday, December 12, called for a genuinely independent foreign policy and a self-reliant defense posture following what they described as a major shift in the recently released US national security plan.
In a television interview, Marcos—chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs—said she was “shocked” by the tone of the US document, which she said signals a pivot away from Asia toward the Western Hemisphere, potentially affecting the Philippines’ long-standing defense arrangements with Washington.
“The US is clearly saying they’re going back to the Western Hemisphere,” Marcos said.
“They will no longer interfere in Asia. And they’re saying, don’t fight China… It’s now a rebalancing of economic and trade ties.”
She noted the absence of any explicit reference to Taiwan and questioned the Philippines’ role in potential regional conflicts.
“Before, the noise… if there’s a fire in Taiwan, we will be involved. But why would we be involved now if America doesn’t care?” she said.
Marcos also warned that Washington’s push for “burden sharing” could pressure Manila to shoulder higher costs under defense agreements such as EDCA and the VFA.
“‘Burden sharing’, there’s also 5% of GDP. Can our powers handle that?” she said.
Marcoleta echoed the concerns, saying the policy shift shows that traditional security guarantees may no longer be reliable.
“If they said, ‘mind your own business,’ why not just remove EDCA? Go home,” Marcoleta said. “Why should I share the burden? You are the ones burdening me.”
Both senators stressed that the Philippines should avoid being drawn into superpower rivalries, especially as it prepares to host ASEAN next year.
“We are just a small country,” Marcos said. “Why are we getting involved in the affairs of the big guys? We will definitely be in trouble.”
Marcos also underscored the need for defense self-reliance, criticizing continued dependence on foreign military surplus.
“We are still importing second-hand machine guns from Korea while factories in Marikina are producing first-class equipment for export,” she said.