PH foreign policy afflicted with Stockholm SyndromeBy: Hermenegildo C. Cruz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
March 10, 2018
Many of us are familiar with the term “Stockholm Syndrome.” In 1973, four people were taken hostage in Stockholm. Despite their ordeal, the hostages spoke well of their captors and refused to testify against them in court. The term was eventually applied to victims of abuse who refuse to take action against their abusers. This is most evident in cases of persons victimized by authority figures; the victims usually identify with the interests of the perpetrators and end up speaking well of them.
The Philippines’ relationship with China is abusive. Imagine a farmer with a bully neighbor: The bully takes over the choicest part of the farm and then fences it. The bully proceeds to harvest all the fruits and crops in the area. Each time the farmer mentions the encroachment on his farm, the bully threatens him.
In such a case, the victim would go to the police. But that will make the perpetrator look bad, and, as noted, victims afflicted with Stockholm Syndrome do not want to do that. This explains the statement of Foreign Secretary Alan Cayetano for Filipinos “not to be harsh on China” in spite of its bullying tactics.
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