Since 2012, the Philippines and China have gone head to head over the ownerships of the
Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
These islands are important stopover points along nautical shipping lines, and both countries
have bolstered their navies in preparation for a fight over these territories.
Recently, a Chinese coast guard vessel even reportedly used a water cannon on a Philippine
fishing boat for operating in the disputed region.
This got us thinking, could the Philippines actually defend itself against China?
How powerful is the Philippines?
Well, the Philippines has a geographically powerful position, both militarily and economically.
Since the nation is essentially a collection of large and small islands, it has no shared
land borders.
This gives them a defensive edge against any possible attacks.
Also, the Philippines happens to be almost exactly at the center of trade routes between
many other large nations, namely: China, Japan, and Australia.
In addition to a profitable trade industry, the Philippines has a strong agricultural
sector - and they are leading producers of coconuts, rice and pineapples.
They also have a growing retail and customer service industry, with about 53% employed
in the field.
Companies in the telecommunications, hospitality and food services are growing fast.
Although the Philippines isn’t nearly as wealthy as some of its neighbors, the country
is known for its rapid economic growth and has been called an up-and-coming “Asian
Tiger.”
With a GDP of 272 Billion dollars, the Philippines could soon rival the bustling economies of
Singapore and Malaysia.
The Philippines has a huge population, with more than 100 million citizens.
That’s as if three-times the population of Canada was stuffed inside the state of
Arizona.
The nation’s capital of Manila, alone, has almost 13 million residents, making it one
of the largest megacities on the planet.
One of the most popular Filipino citizens is Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao grew up in poverty but went on to become a boxing icon and a dominating force
in pop culture, politics and other sports.
Although around 25% of the population still lives in poverty, Pacquiao is a huge source
of inspiration for many Filipinos.
His upcoming fight against Floyd Mayweather is expected to captivate the entire country.
Millions of fans will be tuning in and rooting for Pacquiao, in what’s being called “the
fight of the century”.
In fact, the crime rate of the Philippines has been known to drop significantly during
his boxing matches.
The Philippines has a significant military - reportedly 220 thousand active frontline
personnel - but their equipment remains outdated.
Globally, the country’s military ranks 40th in the world.
Compared to China, with more than 2 million active soldiers and the second highest rate
of expenditures on defense in the world, the Philippine army appears lacking.
However, the Philippines has a secret weapon: The United States.
The two countries have had friendly diplomatic and economic relations since World War 2,
and in 2014, both signed an “Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement”.
If China chooses to attack the Philippines over the Spratly Islands, the US will step
in.
Therefore, by association, the Philippines is a moderately powerful nation, and, it has
a promising economic future.
If you want to find out more about Manny Pacquiao, his big fight on May 2nd, and more about his
role in the political role for the country, check out this video from our friends at TYT
Sports.
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