Two Sides of the Same Coin

What would a Harris or Trump Presidency Mean for the Philippines and the Filipino People?

This U.S. presidential election, BAYAN USA holds no illusions that either candidate will bring genuine change for the Filipino people. The first Presidential debate on September 10 proved nothing more than that the Democratic and Republican parties are two sides of the same coin: both anti-people and warmongering tools for the wealthy elite.

So what exactly can the Filipino people expect from either party? 

The Republic Party’s platform relies heavily on Project 2025, the much feared fixation of many U.S. liberals. Project 2025 is a 1,000 page document that wants to dismantle checks and balances of the Federal government and put near dictatorial power into the executive branch. Despite Trump’s distancing himself from the document, both spread hate rhetoric that is anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-Communist, all of which build up Trump’s rabid and fascist mass base. 

Trump places the blame for skyrocketing unemployment on undocumented immigrants and refugees “allowed” through the border by Democrat officials, accusing them of “stealing people’s jobs and causing havoc for traditional American values.” With slogans such as “Build the Greatest Economy in History,” he also openly criticizes corporate greed despite being a blatantly greedy capitalist himself.

Trump claims that he will make the U.S. “the most modern, lethal and powerful Force in the World.” His call for an Iron Dome Defense Shield to surround the U.S. would invite wasteful and deadly military spending, similar to the death traps being built by Republican governors along the hyper-militarized U.S.-Mexico border. 

On the other side, the Democratic Party touts itself as the progressive alternative to Trump. However, their policies are just as conservative and right-wing. Whether it be gun laws or immigration, Harris’ position is not much different from the GOP’s. In terms of foreign policy, Harris has stated she is not going to change anything about U.S. intervention. This is a slap in the face to the Filipino people and all nationally oppressed people around the world — especially our Palestinian siblings who have been suffering from the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide for almost one year. Harris has promised to build “the most lethal military in the world,” and force the country into a war with China that nobody wants except for war-profiteering corporations, like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. 

Harris chooses to rely on fear-mongering and “lesser evilism” to goad the U.S. public into voting for her. Her slogan of “We Can Win This!” already gives away the skewed priorities of the Democrats, which is to win the race rather than pose any substantial policy platform that to truly alleviate the suffering of working class people in the U.S.

Whoever wins this election, the U.S. imperialist agenda will continue in the Philippines. Under both Republican and Democratic presidents alike, the Filipino people have faced violations of our national sovereignty through the installation of facto bases and military war games; U.S.-funded counterinsurgency that has resulted in war crimes against civilian communities; and economic crises spurred by foreign corporate plunder. These are made possible through unequal trade and military agreements. 

Marcos’ selling out of the Philippines to U.S. interests has forced Filipinos overseas to work even harder to send more money back home to support their families. This puts our people in more precarious work conditions, facing extreme exploitation, contract violations, and labor trafficking due to the widespread neoliberal policies found domestically in the U.S. — again, policies that both Democrats and Republicans have passed. Meanwhile, wages remain stagnant and prices continue to rise, all without any substantial support or protections from the U.S. or Philippine governments. Both states would rather spend freely on the budget for militarism and for subsidizing corporate greed rather than address the root problems of poverty and war. 

No matter the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election, the Filipino people in both the U.S. and the Philippines cannot expect to see any significant change or relief from U.S. economic, military and political intervention. Both ruling imperialist parties have thoroughly proven themselves to be anti-people and rotten to the core. In fact, both the Democratic and the Republican parties have seen right-ward shifts in their politics and are forging a roadmap towards war and fascism. 

It is the people, not these two parties, who we can rely on to make concrete changes through collective action. In the days leading up to the U.S. elections, we invite all Filipinos to join us in supporting the Filipino American Agenda, and all working and oppressed peoples to support The People’s Platform of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle. Beyond the election, and no matter the result, we must continue building the organized mass movement to win real changes for our communities at home and around the world. 

Welfare, not warfare!
Rights, not repression!
U.S. out of the Philippines! US out of everywhere!
From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine! End the genocide in Palestine!