Philippines relations with US, China must be distinct – Sara

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday night maintained that the Philippine relationship with the United States and China should be two separate engagements amid criticisms over her recent statement that the Philippines should “stay in the middle” of the two countries in power struggle.

“For the Philippines, we – our Constitution clearly states that we should have an independent foreign policy. So, our relationship with the US and our relationship with China should be two separate engagements and we should not lean towards the US for our problems with China, particularly our issues in the West Philippine Sea,” Duterte said in an interview with Russia Today.

ML party-list representative-elect Leila de Lima said Duterte’s criticisms of the administration’s policy in the West Philippine Sea constituted a betrayal of public trust.

“The administration of President Marcos is leaning towards the US and is alienating China. I believe that the Philippines should not be involved in cooperation and competition at the same time, with the US and China being a middle power in the game of supremacy and domination,” Duterte said.

The Vice President questioned why the Marcos administration greenlit Washington’s deployment of the Typhon missile system in the Philippines, which antagonized Beijing.

Such comments, according to De Lima, made her a “traitor” just like her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who sidelined traditional allies during his term to placate China, Duterte said.

Meanwhile, two House leaders dismissed yesterday the Vice President’s denial of being pro-China, saying her record speaks louder than words.

La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V and Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun, whose provinces have been directly affected by Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, issued the remarks after Duterte rejected claims that she was aligned with any foreign power, saying she is “not pro any country at all.”

In another development, the Department of Finance (DOF) has approved the donation of seized fuel to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The DOF said 1,251.68 liters of gasoline will be given to the PCG to support the country’s maritime safety and security operations. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Louise Maureen Simeon