President Duterte meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Oct. 20, 2016. —AP
MANILA, Philippines — As discussions flared up on the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China over portions of the South China Sea, Malacañang steadily attempted to assuage tensed debates.
Again and again, the Palace boasted of the Duterte administration’s close friendship with China. On Friday, however, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte “is making his enemies friends.”
So, is China a friend or an enemy?
Panelo explained it’s a strategy of the President and such a game plan has been beneficial to the Philippines.
“Kita mo, ang dami na nating nakukuha,” Panelo told reporters in Malacañang, referring to the various loans and China-funded infrastructure projects granted to the Philippines since Duterte fostered warmer ties with Beijing.
Asked if the President is keeping his enemies closer to him, Panelo said: “He (Duterte) is making his enemies friends so that both sides will mutually gain benefit from whatever they have.”
The Palace official then touted Duterte’s foreign policy, saying the Philippines is a friend to all.
“Sabi nga natin ‘di ba, sabi ni Presidente: ‘We are friends to all, enemies to none.’ But even enemies, we can be friends if that will be to our advantage,” the presidential mouthpiece and Duterte’s chief legal counsel said.
Since he assumed office on June 30, 2016, Duterte has employed a “soft” approach in dealing with Manila’s maritime dispute with Beijing.
Duterte has engaged Xi in various bilateral talks, opting to set aside the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling that favored the Philippines’ diplomatic protest against China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.
The President has repeatedly warned that insisting Manila’s claims over portions of the South China Sea will result in a war that the Philippines will definitely lose. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)