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To protect its interests in the South China Sea, the Philippines must delicately balance its relationship with China and the United States. But the government’s eagerness to boost U.S. military partnership has some Filipinos rethinking where that balance lies.

Subic, Philippines.– For years, fishing in the South China Sea has been both dangerous and difficult for Filipinos due to the increasing number of Chinese vessels encroaching on the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone – but recent military drills off the country’s western coast are giving some fisherfolk hope.

Leonildo Moralde, a commercial fisherman in Subic, Philippines, says access to the resource-rich lagoons and islets became harder under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who maintained a China-friendly posture throughout his term.

“We are hopeful that everything will improve because President [Ferdinand] ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. is trying to balance the situation,” says Mr. Moralde. “Especially now that the government is more active in its engagement with the U.S.”

Subic, a former United States naval base, hosts the annual Balikatan (“shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog​) military exercises between the U.S. military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This year’s Balikatan, which began on April 11, is the largest ever, involving more than 17,600 members of the two militaries. As the 18-day drills draw to a close, public opinion on U.S. military cooperation is somewhat divided. Although most Filipinos are in favor of working with the U.S. to balance China’s influence in the region, some say Uncle Sam’s presence is equally disruptive, and could even escalate conflict with China ...

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