President Aquino is correct that Typhoon Haiyan demonstrates that our efforts to prevent future similar damage should focus on fundamental reforms and “build back better.”
However, the price President Aquino has put on the damage is approximately 600 billion pesos or $13 billion.
The problem confronting the Philippines, however, is that the nations most capable of assisting the Philippines have only provided token assistance. For example, Secretary of State John Kerry recently visited our country to publically announce that the U.S. would give an additional $24 million in aid or just 25 cents per Philippine resident. But, even if we added all the aid U.S. has committed for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, it amounts to just one dollar per Filipino.
In contrast, $9 billion (or $900 per resident in Haiti) was raised for an equivalent disaster.
What four million Filipino Americans must do is change U.S. policy toward the Philippines, much as five million Jewish Americans have changed U.S. policy toward Israel. Israel averages $1,000 of U.S. aid annually per Israeli. If we could match either the Haiti or Israel fundraising, it would allow the Philippines to “build back better” and develop an effective infrastructure that would minimize future deaths, homelessness and overall damage during a natural disaster.
Is it unrealistic to ask the U.S. to give to their strongest ally in Asia (and perhaps their strongest ally in the world) at least $100 per Filipino a year to rebuild our nation? We don’t think so. Recently, President Putin of Russia announced a $20 billion commitment to keep the Ukraine as an ally. This is the equivalent of over $400 per Ukrainian. (The Ukraine has a population of 46 million versus 105 million in the Philippines.)
For more than two generations, the U.S. has short-changed the Philippine people by paying us in pesos rather than dollars. That is, we should be getting at least forty times more per year in both military and economic aid. Even non-U.S. allies, such as Egypt, receive far more per capita.
We are America’s strongest military force in Asia, not because of our military strength, but because of our people strength. Today, we are the U.S.’s strongest ally against China’s military advances as we courageously demonstrated through many protests across the world regarding the South China Sea disputes.
Similarly, we can be the U.S.’s strongest ally in its fight against China’s recent declaration that it exclusively controls the air rights over most of the China Sea.
Most importantly, the United States must recognize that President Aquino can only be a strong ally when the U.S. makes it clear to the Filipino people that the U.S. is a strong ally of the Philippines. For example, 22 years ago, the U.S. was forced to close two large and four small military bases because growing elements in the Philippines became disillusioned with the U.S.’s commitments to the Philippines.
Recent surveys in the Philippines have shown that most Filipinos would welcome a return of American forces, but such a return should be on terms that demonstrate that these are Philippine-controlled bases with an American presence. It cannot be just an American base in the Philippines if we are to ensure a strong support.
A first step for the U.S. in helping to create a strong Philippine-controlled military presence is for the U.S. to avoid the mistakes it has made with American troops in Okinawa, Japan. Instead, the U.S. should demonstrate its support of the Philippine people by taking the lead in raising the $13 billion President Aquino has stated is necessary to cover our typhoon damages and modernize our infrastructure. Our goal should be that never again, no matter what the impact of climate change may be, we will never suffer a Typhoon Haiyan disaster.
To ensure this reality, one hundred Filipino American leaders should join together to meet with President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry. Our message should be for every $1 billion the U.S. pledges, we will assist, by meeting with the UN and major U.S. foundations, as well as U.S. billionaires, in seeking matching funds.
To initiate this one hundred Filipino American leader effort, we will call for a preliminary meeting in Washington, D.C. with Filipino American leaders in early 2014.
(Faith Bautista and Eduardo “Ed” Navarra)
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Eduardo “Ed” Navarra is the National Chair of NaFFAA, our nation’s largest Filipino American community service and advocacy organization.
