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. Thanks for watching TestTube! We’ll see you tomorrow!