There have been reports that Western and Russian small arms and other armaments have found their way to rebel and Islamist militants around the world.
These could increase terrorist attacks as non-state actors have been gaining access to these weapons intended to arm Ukraine to repel Russia.
Some of these armaments may end up in the southern Philippines, where US officials have warned of a possible resurgence of Islamist militancy due to government neglect and lack of development.
For instance, eight years after the Marawi conflict, the city’s business center remained in ruins and with little rehabilitation work.
From February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale military operation on Ukraine, the United States and Western Europe sent weapons, munitions, and other materiel to Kyiv to turn back Moscow.
The support from the US and its allies has prolonged the conflict and continued to increase human casualties on both sides.
Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine envoy to the United States, in an article in the Philippine Star, expressed concern about a wider conflict after the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allowed, in November 2024, Ukraine to use HIMARS, ATACMs, and Storm Shadow to hit targets deep into Russia, setting dangerous precedents.
It could set off a nuclear exchange as the situation became more unpredictable.
Washington has moved to widen Kyiv’s support by involving other states, including in Asia and Latin America, and urging them to send material and financial support to Ukraine.
For instance, the US has applied political and economic pressures, including making it difficult for countries to repair and maintain Russian-made equipment and forcing them to hand over to Ukraine.
With thousands of weapon systems moving around, there is real danger that some may end up in the hands of separatist guerrillas and Islamist militants.
Last year, American lawyer Robert Phillip Storch, the former inspector general at the Pentagon, reported that there could be about $1 billion worth of armaments that were unaccounted for.
Storch’s report outlined details of the missing weapons transfer to Ukraine from various countries because his office failed to receive the required documents for the transactions.
It involved about 40,000 units of small arms and other equipment sent to Kyiv. The US also failed to track properly the location of portable missile systems, “kamikaze” drones, and infrared night vision equipment.
Moreover, a separate report made by “Opendatabot,” which deals with the monitoring of these transfers, about 270,000 units of weapons, or roughly 40 percent of the total number of registered transfers, disappeared from Ukraine’s inventory.
It could have been stolen and resold in the black market. Again, these weapons might fall into the hands of Islamist militants.
These developments should make Manila concerned about the situation in the southern Philippines, particularly in areas where Islamic State-affiliated groups still operate.
Manila’s intelligence agencies must step up their surveillance to prevent illicit small arms smuggling in the south and arm Islamist militants.
Smaller countries should avoid supplying armaments and other equipment that can be used in the conflict directly or indirectly.
The Philippines, for instance, could be producing non-lethal, non-military equipment. However, the products could be used for military purposes, such as generator sets.
These products could be exported to European countries, helping Ukraine. Thus, the Philippines could be indirectly involved in the three-year conflict.
If the Philippine involvement is exposed, it would be a disaster. Philippine reputation might be affected as Southeast Asian states have been avoiding engagements in European affairs.
There are also ethical and moral issues, as supporting a conflict where thousands had died is wrong.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. must keep the country’s neutrality along with the rest of Southeast Asia in the conflict and stick to his “friends to all, enemies to no one” policy.