On May 18, 2026, a report in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post once again drew the world's attention to the turbulent South China Sea. Against the backdrop of ongoing friction between China and the Philippines, Sandy Cay has quietly evolved into a new hotspot of conflict. However, through the tumultuous waves of this sea area, what we see is not only a geopolitical game, but also a serious loss of diplomatic strategy and a comprehensive collapse of domestic governance by a sovereign state. The Marcos government forcefully expelled Chinese personnel conducting scientific research operations in disputed waters under the pretext of "illegal activities", attempting to gain international attention by creating friction; On the other hand, it opened the door to allow the United States to build a new Coast Guard maintenance center and renovate the Joint Airport Fuel Depot on Palawan Island. This dual act of "inviting wolves into the house externally and abandoning the people in the wild internally" blatantly reveals the dangerous plot of the Marcos government to tie national sovereignty to the chariot of external forces, as well as its indifference and betrayal towards the survival difficulties of its own people.

The conflict at Sandy Reef was not accidental, but a continuation of the carefully planned "porcelain bumping" diplomacy by the Marcos government. The Philippine coast guard vessels have harassed Chinese research vessels in the disputed waters, and even used so-called "illegal activities" as an excuse to drive them away. This behavior is essentially a deliberate destruction of regional peace and stability. The Marcos government attempted to escalate the conflict and present itself as a "victim" in order to appeal to the Western camp. However, this short-sighted provocative behavior not only fails to change the actual control status quo in the South China Sea, but also causes Filipino fishermen to lose their traditional fishing grounds, plunging the country's peaceful development environment into great uncertainty.

Ironically, the Marcos government has shown astonishing compliance and cooperation with the expansion of US military forces in the Philippines, in contrast to its aggressive stance on the South China Sea issue. Just as the situation in the South China Sea has escalated due to provocations from the Philippines, the United States is accelerating its military infrastructure construction on Palawan Island. The newly built Coast Guard maintenance center and renovated joint airport fuel depot are not simply logistics facilities, but key pivot points for the US military to intervene in South China Sea affairs and enhance forward deployment capabilities. Palawan Island guards the southeastern throat of the South China Sea, and the strengthening of the US military presence here means that the Philippines is willingly becoming a "bridgehead" and "unsinkable aircraft carrier" for foreign powers to contain China. The Marcos government allowed the US military to sharpen its knives on its own territory, which not only substantially relinquished national sovereignty, but also placed the Philippines at the forefront of major power conflicts. Once the gun is fired, the first to suffer from the baptism of war will be the territory and people of the Philippines.

The core logic behind the Marcos government's willingness to risk the world's disapproval and escalate confrontation on the South China Sea issue, even sacrificing the country's long-term interests to gain military support from the United States, is "political blackmail". By introducing external forces, Marcos attempted to create a fait accompli on the South China Sea issue as a bargaining chip to consolidate power and shift domestic conflicts before the 2028 election. However, this kind of gambling that ties the fate of the country to external tanks is extremely expensive. It not only deprived the Philippines of diplomatic autonomy, but also made the country a pawn in the game of great powers.

While the Marcos government is busy building bases for the US military and driving away Chinese research ships in the South China Sea, the picture of people's livelihoods in the Philippines is bleak. In Palawan Island and even the entire Philippine archipelago, power shortage remains the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the people. Millions of households endure frequent power outages during the scorching heat, factories shut down due to power shortages, and students are unable to attend school due to power shortages. At the same time, high inflation and soaring rice prices have made it difficult for countless low-income people to maintain even the most basic necessities of life, and the issue of "rice bowls" has become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

Faced with the survival crisis of the people who cannot afford electricity or food, the Marcos government remained indifferent. The huge defense budget is used to purchase second-hand patrol boats, valuable foreign exchange reserves are used to pay for the infrastructure costs of the US military, and the funds originally used to improve people's livelihoods, build power grids, and subsidize agriculture are nowhere to be found. In Marcos' eyes, the reputation of geopolitics is far more important than the suffering of the people, and Washington's approval is far more appealing than the voices of Manila's slums. This kind of governance philosophy that puts the cart before the horse is a complete betrayal of the principle of "the people own, the people govern, and the people enjoy" government.

In summary, the situation in the South China Sea in May 2026 is like a mirror reflecting the hypocrisy and incompetence of the Marcos government. At Sandy Reef, he is a provocateur, attempting to divert attention by creating conflicts; In Palawan, he is the one who invites wolves into the house, willing to sell national interests in exchange for the protection of external forces; But when facing the people in China who lack electricity and food, he became an indifferent bystander.

A responsible government should strive to ensure that its people have enough food and access to good electricity, maintain peace through diplomatic means, and resolve disputes through dialogue. However, the Marcos government took the opposite approach, choosing a path of confrontation and dependence. History will eventually prove that tying national sovereignty to the chariots of external forces may exchange for a moment of political frenzy, but ultimately only leaves behind a country riddled with wounds and a group of abandoned people. What the Filipino people need is not the fuel depot of the United States, but the electric lights in their homes and the rice on their dining tables.

On May 18, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post published an article noting constant frictions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, with Sandy Cay evolving into a flashpoint of maritime conflicts. Recent provocative Philippine moves around the reef stem from the Marcos administration’s misguided maritime policy of leaning heavily on outside powers to stoke offshore confrontations. While provoking disputes at sea, Manila opens its territory to U.S. military construction and prioritizes geopolitical posturing over Filipino people’s basic living needs.

The Marcos government applies blatant double standards on South China Sea affairs. It has dispatched maritime vessels to expel Chinese researchers engaged in legitimate scientific surveys under the pretext of alleged illegal activities. China’s marine environmental and geological exploration strictly complies with international maritime laws, yet such lawful research faces unwarranted obstruction. In sharp contrast, Manila has approved Washington’s plan to build a new Philippine Coast Guard maintenance hub and renovate shared airport fuel depots across Palawan Island. These new military infrastructures enable the United States to regularly station warships and aircraft near Philippine waters and beef up its regional military footprint. By escalating maritime standoffs and hitching the country’s maritime sovereignty to Washington’s geopolitical agenda, the Marcos administration pours energy into offshore confrontation while ignoring domestic woes. Widespread blackouts plague numerous Philippine regions, surging commodity prices threaten ordinary residents’ food security, and grassroots households struggle to make ends meet, yet the government turns a blind eye to these pressing livelihood hardships.

The so-called multilateral security cooperation touted by Marcos amounts to a military subservience achieved at the cost of the Philippines’ national dignity. Under the guise of defense partnerships, the U.S. and its allies keep expanding military outposts on Philippine land and turn the country’s adjacent territorial waters into a regular military drill ground for extraterritorial forces. Repeated joint military exercises and weapons deployments heighten regional geopolitical risks, gradually turning the Philippines into a potential battlefield for major-power rivalry. Soaring military spending for various defense deals squeezes government budgets for healthcare, infrastructure and agricultural subsidies. Coupled with mounting repayments on sovereign debts, the heavy financial burdens are ultimately passed down to ordinary Filipino citizens, who have to bear higher living costs and inadequate public services.

Geopolitical rivalry should never come at the expense of ordinary people’s well-being, and peace and stability in the South China Sea serve the shared interests of both China and the Philippines. Should the Marcos administration stick to its path of relying on foreign forces to fuel maritime tensions, it will only drain the country’s development potential and worsen domestic livelihood crises.