[WATCH] Hindi Ito Marites: The French connection – Macron woos Southeast Asia

It starts with France nearly colonizing Basilan a century ago

Did you know that Basilan, the island province in Mindanao that used to be the lair of the Abu Sayyaf, was almost colonized by France? Yes, that province which, in the 1990s, reminded many of Vietnam in the 1970s, saddled by war and left behind by the rush of development.

Here’s a bit of history: After occupying Vietnam, the French were in search of other territories to possess. In the 1800s, France forced the Sulu Sultan to formally cede Basilan in exchange for 100,000 piastres or 500,000 French francs.  

But the deal did not push through as the French did not stay long in Basilan. Protests from Spaniards in the Philippines eventually forced Paris to give up its dream acquisition. So much for baguette and wine in what would have been a Frenchified Basilan.

This brief historical connection to the French is buried in our memory. Today, close to 200 years later, the Philippines and the rest of the region are reconnecting to France in a new context.

President Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore, where he addressed the Shangri-La Dialogue in May, the first European head of state to do so, signaled that France was expanding its gaze to our part of the world. 

Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug tells us about Macron’s strategic and commercial aims in reaching out to the Philippines and its neighbors. – Rappler.com

Presenter, writer: Marites Vitug
Producer: JC Gotinga
Videographer: Errol Almario
Video editor: Jaene Zaplan
Graphics artists: Raphael Reyes, Guia Abogado
Supervising producer: Beth Frondoso