he videos out of Ukraine are difficult to watch. It is heart-wrenching to see millions forced to flee their homeland. But this should be a teachable moment for Filipinos.

Since the end of World War II, we lived in a world of relative peace. Pinoys showed respect towards their Asian neighbors, and they towards us. On top of that, our close ties to the United States gave Filipinos an added layer of security. The U.S. was, after all, the pre-eminent superpower back then.

Well, those halcyon days are gone. Today we are confronted by a totalitarian neighbor that refuses to recognize Philippine territorial waters and lays claim to most of the South China Sea. With its growing might, Communist China resorts to coercion and intimidation to impose its will over all its smaller neighbors.

In addition, the United States, once the undisputed leader of the free world, has grown soft over the decades and turned inward leaving its allies to fend for themselves. Mankind it seems has reached a fork in the road, and the path it chooses will determine the kind of world its progeny will live in.

From the invasion of Ukraine, we see that the United States and the West will likely not come to an ally's defense in any meaningful or game-changing way. All an adversary with nuclear weapons has to do is threaten "escalation" and any support stops dead on its tracks.

There is no doubt that Beijing is closely monitoring the events in Ukraine to better understand just how far the alliance will go to defend that country. And although the Philippines does have a mutual defense treaty (MDF) with the U.S., how both countries define their treaty obligations could vary widely, depending on a multitude of factors.

Given all this, what the Philippines must do? It should prepare its citizens for any eventuality. As Ukrainians belatedly learned, private citizens have to be mobilized and trained to fend off an invasion by a hostile power. As we have proposed in previous editorials, the Philippines should have a conscription program for all citizens of a certain age. And we laud vice presidential candidate Sarah Duterte for proposing such a plan.

Despite what many—including Filipinos themselves—perceive as a weak and defenseless nation, we have inherent advantages many countries don't have. First and foremost, we are an archipelago made up of more than seven thousand islands. We are not a contiguous landmass so conquering the entire country will likely be an extremely difficult undertaking for any invading army. Just ask the Spanish, the Americans, or the Japanese, all of whom were never able to conquer the entire country.

Secondly, we are now 110 million strong. It becomes extremely difficult to completely subdue such a large population. During World War II, the Japanese, despite their powerful army and navy, never took control of the entire country. Throughout the war, there were pockets of resistance across the archipelago. And back then, Filipinos numbered less than 20 million.

Despite those two significant advantages, we cannot take anything for granted. Even today, We should build up our military into a powerful defensive force. We should procure or manufacture the latest military equipment for our men and women in uniform.

Wars can be won or lost based on logistics. The defense department should continually evaluate and update its programs to ensure that military supplies and equipment are available when needed.

Cutting-edge technologies have always played a decisive role in battles. This is true now more than ever before. The Philippines must ensure that it has a populace that is well versed in these new technologies. Thus, formal education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) must be made a top priority in the decades ahead. Highly sophisticated equipment is now used on the battlefield, and it is therefore imperative that the Philippine military be able to harness and exploit the latest technologies to defend the country.

Given the tragic events that are occurring in Ukraine, The Philippines cannot continue to just hope and pray that aggressor nations simply leave it alone. It must begin strengthening its ability to defend itself against any potential adversary. Filipinos have to make it known that their country will put up a vigorous defense that will make it both difficult and costly for any invader. When that level of deterrence is attained, the MDF and any allied help will simply become an added safeguard against foreign invasion.

Published 03/12/2022