‘Dirty Harry’ meets Admiral Harry
President Rodrigo Duterte meets Admiral Harry Harris while US Ambassador Sung Kim looks on. Photo courtesy of pcoo.gov.ph
In the 1970s, American actor Clint Eastwood popularized the character of Harold Francis Callahan — a San Francisco police inspector who was given the name “Dirty Harry” for his unconventional methods in going after criminals. This was also the same moniker given to then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte during the campaign season for the 2016 presidential elections because of his strongman methods in transforming Davao City into one of the most progressive cities in the country.
The recent meeting between President Duterte and Admiral Harry Harris in Malacañang has inspired pundits to describe it as “‘Dirty Harry’ meets Admiral Harry.”
The four-star US Admiral is the Commander of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) — the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands of the US Armed Forces and is responsible for military operations in the Indo-Asia Pacific region. The USPACOM covers an area that spans from the waters off the US West Coast down to the Indian West Coast, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
Admiral Harris has the distinction of being the first Asian American to achieve the rank of Admiral in the US Navy. Of Japanese descent, he is also the highest-ranking Japanese American. US Ambassador Sung Kim recently hosted a dinner in Admiral Harris’ honor, with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana as well as ranking AFP officials among the invited guests.
While Admiral Harris still has one year left in his tour of duty, sources say he might be tapped as the next US Ambassador to Australia — a development that would be welcome to Australians judging from the comment of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop who described the Admiral as “a very capable, competent man who knows Australia well.” - Photos by Ramon Joseph J. Ruiz and Bing Parel
