Choosing the right leaders for national survival

Filipinos will vote once more on May 12, 2025. However, this election is not like any other that we have witnessed.

- LT. GEN. AURELIO B. BALADAD (RET)

Not only is our world changing, but it is also being rocked to its core. The stakes are national survival, economic stability, and national security. Choosing the appropriate leaders is essential to our future.

Events around the world are loudly warning us. Once the driving force behind economic expansion, globalization has now slowed. When the United States (US) President Donald Trump recently decreed reciprocal tariffs, it created confusion and uncertainty in the global arena. These days, nations are pulling inward and putting self-preservation before cooperation. It triggered supply disruptions and strained economic ties.

One of the clearest signs of today’s global tension is the growing conflict between the US and China. What started as a trade dispute has now turned into a full-blown rivalry, marked by trade wars, military threats, ideological clashes, and competition in technology.

This rivalry has made the West Philippine Sea a dangerous flashpoint. A few kilometers from the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island lie Pag-asa Cay 1, 2, and 3 sandbars. Recently, China's Coast Guard declared control over the sandbar. They shared images of Chinese personnel on the sandbar waving their flag. The Philippine Navy, with law enforcement personnel, promptly responded by sending crews to the sandbars as a prompt counter-assertion of sovereignty.