US President Barack Obama and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE PHOTO
THE Philippines is not “veering away” from the United States (US) despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that the country was “crossing the Rubicon” with its longtime ally, a Cabinet official said on Tuesday.
“I don’t think he meant it in the context of veering away from our commitments with the United States, particularly agreements and treaties or with respect to the close and special relations with the US,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said in a press briefing.
Yasay said Duterte only wanted to take an independent foreign policy but would ensure that “amity with all nations is being complied with.”
“He simply wants to undertake an independent foreign policy, where he would not overlook, that we are part of an international community and that the Constitution in fact mandates that we should carry on amity amongst all nations,” he said.
Yasay assured that the Philippines and the US would continue to strengthen their relationships despite Duterte’s recent tirades against US President Barack Obama.
He said the Philippines would not cut ties with its “traditional friendship with the United States in favor of China.” He dismissed this claim as “completely unfounded and not true.”
He said the Philippines-US relations under the Duterte administration were discussed during his meeting with some members of the national security advisor of Obama at the White House last week.
The Philippines’ claims in the disputed South China were also discussed, he said.
“I hope that I had assuage their fears in this regard, the important thing is that as a result of this discussions, we have all agreed that this is now a matter that should give us the confidence and the opportunity to move forward insofar as strengthening our relationships are concerned,” he said.
Yasay said he also met with US officials in Washington D.C. and explained to them the “true situation” in the Philippines.
“They have to trust the institutions that we have in the Philippines. If they are simply basing their conclusions or apprehensions of the basis of unverified news reports that will not be fair to the Philippines. I hope that I had explained well and addressed the concerns that they have raised,” he said.