“I think the Philippines has bigger problems to worry about than the South China Sea.” That’s what an older gentleman told me during my penultimate night in Singapore—on the day of my graduation, no less. Packaged in a way typical of a stranger at a formal function, his “personal opinion,” I noticed, was an all too common one among defense and security practitioners in Southeast Asia. He’d worked with many Filipinos throughout his career, and he knew very well the culture of corruption and poverty that seemed to exemplify our way of life.

Parada, K. (2025, August 9). More than politics, ‘Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea’ is about the people. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. C4.