The president of the Philippines threatened Tuesday to “break up with America,” but the White House brushed off the threats.
“This is what happens now. I will be reconfiguring my foreign policy. Eventually, in my time, I will break up with America. I would rather go with Russia or China,” President Rodrigo Duterte said.
In a burst of anti-American sentiment, the president of the Philippines expressed a desire to end the U.S.-Philippines alliance and pursue cooperation with two of America’s key strategic rivals, but Washington appears unaffected by Duterte’s statements.
“I can tell you that the United States has not received any official requests from President Duterte, or any other Filipino officials, to alter any aspects of our bilateral cooperation. Today marks the beginning of our annual joint military exercises with the Philippines, an example of the strong partnership and alliance that is in place,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in response.
“[Duterte’s] comments are at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people,” he added.
During Tuesday’s rant, Duterte also told President Barack Obama to “go to hell” for his criticisms of the ongoing drug war.
Earnest replied that the U.S. will “not hesitate” to raise concerns about extrajudicial killings and rights violations.
Duterte wants respect, yet he feels disrespected by the Obama administration’s regular criticisms. Obama has downplayed Duterte’s frustration, calling him a “colorful guy.” The latest dismissal of his outrage will likely exacerbate the problem.
Commenting Wednesday on Duterte’s claims that he would leave the U.S. and reach out to China and Russia, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said, “You can tell that the tenor is not so much what economic benefits we can get from the country, but that he is getting respect. That’s exactly what the president apparently is wanting.”
“He wants the Philippines to be on equal footing with others whether they are big or not. He wants just an equal footing,” he added.
Russia and China are two countries that also feel disrespected by the U.S. Duterte said Sunday that Russia and China supported him when he complained about America’s lack of respect for his administration.
Duterte’s explosive rhetoric often goes unaddressed by the White House, though Duterte is one to follow through on his threats.
During his campaign for the presidency, Duterte promised to kill tens of thousands of drug dealers. “If I make the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, you better get out. I would kill you,” he said.
Duterte also mentioned that he would “butcher” a drug dealer right in front of human rights critics.
Since he took office nearly 100 days ago, Duterte’s war on drugs has ended over 3,000 lives. The president of the Philippines has lashed out numerous times against critics of his administration’s so-called human rights violations.
Duterte has also amassed a significant amount of power. He maintains strong electorate support, enjoys majority support in the legislature, and is celebrated by police and military personnel. Duterte also has control of the country’s judicial system, and he has been able to squelch opposition voices on several occasions.
Duterte has called for the removal of U.S. troops from the Southern Philippines. He has promised to cancel joint patrols in the South China Sea and war games with the U.S. Duterte has also indicated that he would like to establish defense and armament deals with China and Russia. Duterte is also re-evaluating the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which offers U.S. troops access to military bases in the Philippines and serves American forward deployment. He has even espoused strong anti-American sentiment in multiple aggressive and foul-mouthed tirades.
It’s still up in the air whether or not Duterte will attempt to break away from the U.S. The current trajectory, though, indicates that the U.S.-Philippines alliance may grow weaker under Duterte.
The Presidential Palace and other senior officials have, in the past, walked back on Duterte’s statements. This time, Abella was unable to offer a definitive answer on the future of the alliance. “He might. It’s not a definitive yes. It’s not a definitive no. He said he might,” Abella said of the possibility that Duterte will “break up with America.”
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