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Palace discourages premature ‘haka-haka’ on ‘cutting’ of US-PH ties
By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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MANILA – The latest announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte to cut the country’s military and economic ties with its long-time ally, the United States should not worry businessmen, a Malacañang official said.
“For private businessmen dito sa Pilipinas or ‘yung nasa America, wala po tayong dapat ikabahala,” said assistant sectetary Ana Marie Banaag on Oct. 21.
Banaag said Duterte, who made the controversial remarks during his state visit in Beijing, China on Oct. 20, could have only been referring to “government transactions.”
The public was also encouraged not make any interpretations yet.
“So let’s not make any haka-haka muna about it because once the paper (policy direction) is in, I don’t think it would be needed for us to – there is a need for us to make haka-haka on that. If that paper is out already on that matter, then it would be clear kung anong direction ang tatahakin po natin,” the official said.
Sen. Leila de Lima described Duterte’s pronouncements of separation from the US as “kagimbal-gimbal”.
The President, she said, betrayed the Filipinos when he has realigned himself in China’s and Russia’s ideological flow.
“President Duterte has a really inflated, if not delusional, view of himself as a strongman at the level of China and Russia’s leadership. But he’s only proving that he’s a naïve child, looking at the world through distorted lenses when it comes to a lot of things, including foreign policy,” the senator added.
Sen. Ralph Recto said the chief executive should solve the country’s worsening traffic situation first before joining the “Russia-China axis.”
Instead of cutting ties and switching partners, Recto said Duterte should practice “big-dent diplomacy,” making room for more allies.
“You need not unfriend someone to befriend another. If you don’t like him at the moment, you can unfollow him without unfriending or blocking him so that you retain the option to follow him again,” he said./PN
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