The Philippines should contribute troops to Ukraine in order to help the latter fight off its Russian invaders, a former House of Representatives member said.
According to AP Party-list 1st nominee Ronnie Ong, the Philippines should be one with the United Nations (UN) if the world body decides to intervene and mobilize multinational forces to repulse the Russian invasion.
“Kailangang makiisa ang Pilipinas hindi lamang sa panalangin kundi maging sa panawagan at konkretong aksyon para lisanin ng Russia ang Ukraine (The Philippines should help Ukraine not just in prayer but also in action in kicking out the Russians),” he said in a statement over the weekend.
Ong said the failure of the UN and powerful security alliances like North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to stop the Russia's invasion is a grim and worrying reminder that small and defenseless nations like the Philippines can be easily invaded by more powerful nations.
“ The UN and the NATO should walk the talk and show Russia that it cannot just invade another nation.
"Ang tila kawalan ng aksyon para mapigilan ang invasion ng Russia ay maaring bigyan ng kahulugan na wala naman palang magagawa ang mga ito kapag ang sangkot ay isang superpower (The seeming lack of action to stop Russia's invasion might be interpreted as them being useless if a superpower is involved),” Ong said.
He believes that there are a lot of countries that are willing to chip in troops to the UN should it see the need to step in and bring back peace to Ukraine.
Ong, the former Ang Probinsyano congressman, further said that the Philippines is similarly situated with Ukraine because of its territorial dispute with another military giant--China.
“Itong pangyayari sa Ukraine ay isang eye-opener dahil ipinapakita nito na di tayo maaaring umasa sa ibang bansa at sa mga alyansa. Kailangang tayo mismo ang gumawa ng mga hakbang upang tuloy-tuloy ang kapayapan (The occurrence in Ukraine is an eye-opener because it shows that we shouldn't rely on other countries or alliances. We must take steps to preserve peace ourselves),” he noted.