The Trump effect: how Donald Trump’s win affects PH

The US elections have just been concluded, and according to the latest numbers, Donald Trump will be the next US President. There have been a lot of responses online from people across the globe. There were those that were happy with the win, and there were people who were disappointed.

THE DON OF AMERICA. US President-elect Donald Trump speaking about immigration policy in Phoenix, Arizona. Image taken by Gage Skidmore, grabbed from Wikimedia Commons

Having a new president is a scene that’s all too familiar for Filipinos; after all, we did just elect President Rodrigo Duterte to the Presidency six months ago. Similarities between the two have been pointed out several times during their respective campaigns, and people have been speculating what it would be like to have Duterte as our President and Trump as the US President.

It’s already a global phenomenon as it did decide who will lead one of the world’s strongest nations. Reactions of Philippine politicians are varied, ranging from President Duterte’s “warm congratulations” to apprehensions from Albay Representative Joey Salceda.

Here’s a rundown of how Trump’s win will possibly affect the Philippines:

• International relations. PH-US relations have been put under a tremendous amount of strain, mostly because of statements made by Duterte. Most of these have been directed towards the Obama administration, who has given “negative comments” towards Duterte’s policy on crime and terrorism. A new president, coupled with a new US Ambassador, gives our government a clean slate as far as PH-US relations are concerned.
• Foreign investments. Trump has been very vocal about bringing jobs back to the US. With his plan to “put America first”, we could see US investments in the Philippines take a back seat. An example would be the business process outsource (BPO) industry, one of the highest-earning and fastest-growing industries in the Philippines. If Trump gets his way, these jobs will be given back to Americans at the cost of jobs for Filipinos.
• Veteran Affairs. One of his campaign promises was to reform Veteran Affairs policies, something that Filipino WWII veterans have been asking for several years. This could lead to an improvement for WWII veterans unless his “put America first” policy comes into play.
• Trump’s stand on foreign policy might make it difficult for Filipinos to immigrate to the US with some of his comments against nations that are supposedly hotbeds of terrorist activity. Several US politicians have found these comments “disturbing” and might affect the US economy as a whole, as hundreds of thousands of Filipinos have already contributed to its growth. It also does not help that at least half a million of our country men are illegal aliens in the US (referred to as TNTs or “tago ng tago”).

These are the four biggest areas where the Philippines will be affected if Trump makes good on his campaign promises. Other areas like the economy, health care, and national defense will not affect our country as much unless he decides to go back on his word and retain jobs for foreign nationals in those fields.

The effects of a Trump presidency, however, should not be given out right away as he has not even been sworn into office yet. Inauguration Day, the day when he gets sworn in as President of the United States (POTUS) is scheduled on January 20, 2017, just after 12 noon.

January 20, 2017 is outgoing President Barack Obama’s last day in office.

 

Source: Rappler, InterAksyon, ABS-CBN News, Inquirer.net, Inquirer.net US Bureau