President Barack Obama used a boxing metaphor to describe the Philippines’ stature on the world stage. We may not be the largest (read: most influential) country but we do pull more than our fair share.
I suppose it is understated how our diplomats are among the best in the world. Not only do we need to foster ties with countries that host our migrant laborers, but we are also instrumental as neutral third parties in dealing with North Korea and Burma. I am not surprised that there is a disconnect between PGMA’s image at home and abroad; that our presidents have been more popular on the international stage is a historical constant. In addition, all politics is local. Obama remains incredibly popular abroad too, while his poll numbers have settled to their normal levels as of late (now only 52% approve of his job performance).
In an upcoming piece for Planet Philippines, I talked about Obama’s political calculations involved in PGMA’s visit. There isn’t much. He is simply laying the ground work for his work in Southeast Asia. I hypothesized that the issue of regional security and geopolitical partnership will be at the forefront, with hardly any mention of democracy or human rights except for that in Burma. Furthermore, Obama will disappoint all those hoping for him to scold GMA. Not only is that not his style, neither is it his ideology nor place to do so. I was right.
More calculations were done on the part of PGMA, but if she was expecting to receive effusive praise for her administration’s work then she may have been disappointed. Credit was given to her work in pushing for the peace process in Mindanao, an issue that though important, does not play as politically large as it did before. This visit was definitely not a validation of her SONA.
And just like in the SONA, I paid more attention to her demeanor and posture. She didn’t look incredibly comfortable there. Or maybe she’s just starstruck?
