Yesterday, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte raised eyebrows in declaring a “separation” from the United States and the forming of a military and commercial alliance. Other officials quickly backtracked, insisting he didn’t mean that historic economic ties with the US would be cut.
Today, Duterte also chimed in, saying he had not meant to suggest a total severing of ties with the United States, saying that such ties are in the best interest of his countrymen, and adding that he only meant to say that the Philippines was separating its foreign policy priorities from those of the US, and would no longer follow wherever the US leads.
US officials continued to criticize Duterte for his “troubling” comments, insisting they want further clarification of what he meant. The outspoken Duterte has been clashing with US policymakers in public comments for months.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter insisted that despite Duterte’s talk of a split, the US still has a militiary alliance with the Philippines and intends to continue with that, and that the US would keep its “important alliance commitments” with the country.
as a filipino i am actually amused NOT by duterte’s rather theatrical positioning. whatever the extent of his positions will be — he KNOWS the country is in critical need of REAL assistance : economically, investment-trade wise, diplomatically, security wise — and THAT means going ahead with his ‘diversifying” which is really what it is about. and it means certainly increasing and improving relations with china — which relationship has always been there anyway — and CREATING for the first time a REAL relationship with russia.
this is what it really means …
but i am more amused by the WESTERN writing that seems to focus on whether Duterte ‘backed off” from a day’s statement – as if by backing off the ”ties with the USA” are somehow INTACT in the same way that they have been. THAT IS NO LONGER going to happen.
it is not a question of whether he goes ahead with 50 percent of what he says or 100 percent — whether it is a ‘total severing of ties with the USA” (WHICH IT WILL NOT BE) ..
it is about the philippines having to DO WHAT MUST BE DONE:
create a more independent course — AND DO SO BY creating relationships with china and russia — WITHOUT having to ask for american permission.
THAT is what matters.
the advisers or ministers around the new president that try to ”soften” his stance and explain ”what he really meant’ — in my view — do NOT need to do any EXPLAINING to the americans — or try to ‘tone down’ whatever the president duterte says — HE is the leader the people expect to listen to — NOT THEM or their ””filtering down” of ”what the president really meant’ and THEY do not make policies or decisions — they are there to FOLLOW what he decides on — and if means it displeases washington — that is HIS role to do — not THEIRS for fear of ”making washington unhappy”.
He wants to make peace happen. That’s good. The Western antagonism towards the Moros has to be purged from the islands. This he understands.
From the outside looking in, Duterte is a breath of fresh air. I just hope they don’t try to take him out when his righteous rage fueled drug war inevitably threatens to or actually severs the arterial flow and hits them at the highest levels.