Palace: 'Difficult' shift in foreign policy will bring prosperity

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang said Thursday that the Philippines is undergoing a “difficult” shift towards an independent foreign policy that will have a positive effect on its well-being and prosperity.

 

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the Philippines should be allowed to chart its own course and fulfill its destiny on its own terms.

 

“There is a shift that’s happening. So, it is not unfortunate but it is part of a process, difficult as it may be, but it is part of a process, which the president sees is setting our own independent chart, our own independent course,” Abella said in press briefing.

 

“It may be difficult and it may be challenging, but, definitely, the president sees it as something that will actually add to our well-being and prosperity as a nation,” he added.

 

Abella was asked to react to the statements of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, who described President Duterte’s policy direction as unfortunate. Del Rosario said the administration’s foreign policy could “alienate its major economic partners” and create “an unwelcoming environment to foreign investors.”

 

President Duterte has been hurling tirades and invectives at the United States, the European Union and the United Nations for supposedly interfering with the government's war on drugs.

 

The US, EU, and UN have raised concerns over the alleged extrajudicial killings of drug suspects in the Philippines and have asked Duterte to uphold the rule of law in his crackdown on narcotics.

 

“He (del Rosario) is welcome to his own perception. However, we need to bring into consideration the particular policy that the president is bringing us into. In a sense, he’s really bringing a shift in the direction,” Abella said.

 

Abella said the public should “see the substance” behind Duterte’s style, which involves colorful language and harsh statements.

 

“As the president says, again and again, and said earlier, look behind my words and see the actual situation on the people and the nation,” the president’s spokesman said.

 

“So, beyond the style, which is what you termed as harsh, is the substance which is to set the direction of an independent and free Philippines.”

Philippine and US troops at a military exercise. Philstar.com, file

 

Duterte has been issuing controversial foreign policy pronouncements, the latest of which was his declaration last Wednesday that the upcoming military exercise between the Philippines and the US would be the “last.”

 

READ: Duterte wants end to Philippines' war games with US

 

Abella said no timetable has been set with regard to Duterte’s statement on the joint drills but maintained that “it was part of the president’s intention.”

 

Despite Duterte’s anti-US pronouncements, Abella said the fundamental relationship between Manila and Washington has not changed.

 

“We continue to surge forward even as we attempt a deeper understanding of each other’s methods,” Abella said.

 

“The Philippines has not veered away from these basic principles, despite the strong stance of the president. The drug problem in the Philippines itself is so pervasive that it undermines the human rights of the people and the rule of law.”

 

Abella noted that the president had promised to honor all treaties and pacts during his inaugural address. The joint exercises of the Philippines and the US was in line with the Mutual Defense Treaty forged by the two countries in 1951.

 

“However, there are also certain modifications in their relationship and so the relationship remains solid according to the agreements, but also there will be other activities that will be more open to other nations too,” Abella said.

 

Asked if the administration is worried about the possible impact of Duterte’s statements on the economy given that the US is the Philippines’ largest trading partner, Abella replied: “We understand that. And as you can, as you have seen, the president is also strengthening his relationship with neighboring countries and this is part of being more inclusive in our relation, economic relationships.”

 

READ: Yasay: Duterte open to better relationships with China, Russia