EDITORIAL - Reboot

It was a talk-and-greet phone conversation, brief at seven minutes, and there was hardly room for all the pleasantries that could be exchanged between two heads of government.

Accounts from both sides showed that the first conversation between President Duterte and US president-elect Donald Trump turned out to be cordial and, in the words of Malacañang officials, “very engaging, animated.”

From comments made by Duterte, the call late Friday night, arranged by the Department of Foreign Affairs, could herald the start of a thaw in relations between the two long-time allies. Ties have been strained since Duterte assumed power, as he made no secret of his dislike for the US ambassador at the time, and then for President Barack Obama for expressing concern about the human rights situation in the Philippines amid the war on illegal drugs.

If Trump shared such concerns, he kept them to himself. Instead the incoming US president, according to Malacañang, wished Duterte success in his campaign against the drug menace and said the war was being waged in “the right way.”

Whether or not something merely got lost in translation, Duterte said he felt a “good sense of rapport” with his incoming US counterpart. This should bode well for bilateral ties, which have suffered from what certain quarters feared was an emerging zero-sum mindset in the Philippine government’s dealings with the international community.

Since assuming power, President Duterte has rapidly improved the country’s ties with China. But he did this while turning his back on the United States, which he accused of interfering in Philippine affairs and treating him with disrespect. His profanity-laced statements have threatened US investments and the jobs they generate in the Philippines, and have shaken the two countries’ long-standing defense alliance.

With someone Duterte can work with soon installed at the White House, bilateral ties can be rebooted. Nations have become interdependent in almost all aspects, and improving relations with one country need not be at the expense of ties with another. If President Duterte feels rapport with his incoming US counterpart, it is a good start.