The Philippines has moved to shore up relations with the USA with guarantees that a treaty between them will be honoured and security ties are “rock solid”, despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s railings against Washington.
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The military said only a “token” number of American troops would be impacted by the withdrawal and broader military programs were intact.
Duterte’s statement came a week after his televised tirade against the US and President Barack Obama, causing Obama to cancel their scheduled bilateral meeting at a summit in Laos.
Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said Duterte’s remarks, including that the southern Philippines “would never have peace” while allied with Washington, were not a signal that a pact between them would be abrogated.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said that the Obama administration had heard of President Duterte’s comments, but was “not aware of any official communication by the Philippine government to that that effect and to seek that result”.
“There is no shift in so far as our policy is concerned with respect to our close friendship with the Americans”.
“A considerable segment of the population in the Philippines does not want to see foreign troops, including USA troops, in the Philippines”, Chang said. “If they (Americans) are seen there, they will be killed”, Duterte said. “What will the Chinese especially get in exchange?”
“At the same time, the new president apparently wants to establish his credentials as a nationalist president, and he would also like to reduce the Philippines dependence on the USA in the security arena”.
In his speech, Duterte said the Philippines needs propeller-driven planes that it can use against insurgents and fight terrorists in Mindanao. Russian Federation and China haven’t supplied any weapons in that time, it showed. “I just want to patrol our territorial waters”, the President added.
The US began joint patrols with the Philippines earlier this year prior to Duterte’s election win in May. “That’s besides my point”, he said, referring to a Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that said that Beijing’s claim to areas of the South China Sea had no basis.
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In an e-mailed statement on Tuesday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said defense relations with the United States remain “rock solid” and activities planned this year would continue without interruption. The Philippines is one of Washington’s oldest military allies in Asia. The military had yet to receive a specific directive on how Mr. Duterte’s pronouncement on Mindanao would be carried out, it said.
