Ties with PH Still Strong – US
by Elena L. Aben
The United States (US) stressed that its relationship with the Philippines, notwithstanding occasional unfavorable remarks made by President Duterte, remains very strong and very vital.
“Our people-to-people ties remain strong, our security and military ties remain strong. Our economic ties remain strong. And so, while there is this – there is these remarks occasionally being made, at the working level our relationship remains very strong and very vital,” US Department of State deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.
In a press briefing in Washington DC, a transcript of which was released by the US Department of State, Toner was asked about President Duterte’s latest remarks where he made a comparison of his bloody war against drugs and the Holocaust.
Toner responded by saying that “America’s relationship, or partnership, with the Philippines is long and it’s been based on a mutual foundation of shared values, and that includes our shared belief in human rights and human dignity.”
And within that context, he said, Duterte’s comments “are a significant departure from that tradition. And we find them troubling.”
Asked how much longer is the State Department going to let the Philippine President go on such off-the-wall comments, including his tirades against US President Obama, Toner just said that the US continues to closely cooperate with the Philippines on a number of issues.
“As I said previously, words matter, especially when they’re from leaders of sovereign nations… with whom we (US) have a long and… valued relations with. But what I’ve also been clear about is from a government-to-government level, or at a government-to-government level, we continue to productively, constructively, closely cooperate with the Philippines on a number of issues,” he stated.
Pressed further if there is any concern that if the US criticize the Philippine leader too strongly, despite all his “outrageous actions and comments,” it would drive him toward strong relations with China and Russia which he has already expressed interest in, Toner replied: “I’m aware of those remarks, and we’ve been very clear, Secretary (John) Kerry’s been very clear when he met with President Duterte, we’re not – this is not a zero-sum game for us.”
“We’re not trying to dictate with whom the Philippines should have strong relations with. Our only concern is that we want to maintain our strong relationship with the Philippines,” he further stated.
“But again, I’ll stress that it has to be one that’s based on shared values, democratic values, respect for human rights, and words matter. I’ll say it again,” he continued.
EFFECTS ON US AID
While Toner assured the strong US relationship with the Philippines, influential US lawmakers are warning that the perceived extrajudicial killings in Manila’s drug war could affect American aid.
And while the Obama administration maintains that its 65-year-old alliance with the Philippines remains “ironclad,” a senior US diplomat is cautioning Duterte against more anti-US posturing.
“I think it would be a serious mistake in a democratic country like the Philippines to underestimate the power of the public’s affinity for the US. That’s people power,” Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel told The Associated Press.
Russel did not draw a direct comparison, but past Philippine Presidents have been toppled by popular protests dubbed “people power,” including former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was ousted in 1986.
Duterte has bristled at US criticism of the drug war and repeatedly spoken about dialing back security cooperation – although he says he will maintain the alliance. This week he said that joint military exercises of Filipino and American troops scheduled for next week in the Philippines will be the last such drills.
But His Foreign secretary, Perfecto Yasay, quickly said the decision was not final. Such a step would impede Washington’s plans to expand the footprint of US forces in Southeast Asia to counter China.
The previous Philippine government signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a deal to give the US forces access to five Philippine military bases. That reflected Manila’s anxiety over the territorial ambitions of China with which it has competing claims in the disputed South China Sea.
“If he followed through on this pledge it would be devastating to alliance management,” said Gregory Poling, a fellow with the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic Studies. “How does one sustain a military alliance if your militaries don’t exercise together?”
The Obama administration has consistently played down the significance of such pronouncements from Duterte, which have typically been walked back by other Philippines officials.
In Hawaii to meet with Southeast Asian defense ministers, Defense Secretary Ash Carter hinted at US impatience with the Philippine government over Duterte’s remarks. “Just speaking personally for myself, I find these comments deeply troubling,” Carter said. A day earlier, he had described the US relationship with the Philippines as “ironclad.”
The State Department has tended to parry questions about Duterte’s outbursts.
AID TO PH
The aid Manila gets from Washington is substantial – although it may pale next to the investment that could potentially flow from regional economic powerhouse China, where Duterte is expected to visit in October in a bid to improve ties with Beijing.
The Philippines received about $175 million in US development assistance in fiscal 2015 and $50 million in foreign military financing. In 2016, it has gotten $75 million for counterterrorism and maritime security. Since 2011, it has received three decommissioned US Coast Guard cutters to bolster its meager navy.
Russel said Thursday it was no surprise that senior lawmakers were looking to monitor where US assistance funds were going, given the “collateral damage” from the drug war. But he added it’s premature to impose restrictions on aid.
He stressed Washington’s desire to work with Duterte. He said the US-Philippine relationship – rooted in a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty – remains very popular in the Southeast Asian country, notwithstanding Duterte’s repeated references to rights abuses committed a century ago under American colonial rule.
“All politicians have to be responsive to both the mainstream public attitude and the national security and economic interests of their country. All of that leads to continued close ties between our two countries,” Russel said. (With a report from AP)
(Source: MB.com.ph)