A FELLOW by the name of Justin Baquisal wrote a piece entitled, "Flexible Enmeshment: The Philippines' New Approach to China-US Competition" published on Feb. 6, 2023, in The Diplomat. Besides using an oxymoron for the title of his piece, Baquisal engaged in sophistry in asserting that the Philippines benefits from the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States under the fledgling administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. As I pointed out in my column for March 3, 2023, the Philippines is the one enmeshed by EDCA, not the United States; benefits derived from the agreement are marginal; and all flexibility lies with the American position, none for the Filipinos.