Duterte was the most present guest

The Philippine president may not have been invited but he was the most present guest in the G20 summit party. Indeed those who made a lot about his not having been invited are loathe to admit the fact. So what? I don’t know why the Palace had even bothered to explain something that was probably a dramatic act of declaring the independence of Asean, home to around 700 million people with a total population third only to China and India.

The combined GDP of all 10 Asean countries in 2013 would have made the region the 7th largest economy in the world if it were a single country. By 2050, Southeast Asia is projected to grow further and become the 4th largest economy.

Whether or not Duterte was invited by the G20 countries is beside the point. His not being there was entirely consistent with the new leadership that the Philippine president has set not only for his country but for the region as well.

It is bullying time once more for Western and wealthy nations that it is they that rule and the rest of the world must follow. The critics do not understand that by a single act the dominant G20 has inflicted a form of subjugation they have been used to when Asean countries were merely their poor colonies. The dictum is “if you are not invited to a party you do not count.” How about his not wanting to go to a party whether invited or not invited? It was Duterte who snubbed the G20 summit party. But naysayers, primarily the West and their local cohorts in media and the discredited Liberal Party of former President Noynoy Aquino did not pick up that other side of the coin. They just don’t get it.

The G20 Summit party held in Hamburg. Germany last week is just what it is – a party to decide who matters and who does not. As usual, Western media would make a big issue out of it. It is a big ploy to degrade Duterte that as chairman of Asean, he was not invited. So who is the loser?

The snub works both ways. So what if Laos President Vorachit was invited in 2016 and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak during their time as chairman of Asean.

In 2016, Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak were invited during their time as chairman of Asean.

Duterte is in a different class altogether. He is his own man and as leader of the Asean region interested that it portrays an image of independence. The world is moving to the Asian Century so an invitation from G20 is just what it is an invitation, not a necessary imprimatur of what its former colonizers want. So congratulations are due to our President for not being subservient to what Western supremacy dictates.

It need not be. After all, with the growing power of Asean, it decides what is good and what is in its best interest. He was not invited because he has made blunt statements that other leaders in the region would not even dare to make. Takot sila. But not the President of a country that hitherto was considered as merely a struggling member of Asean, made to dance to the baton of G20 dominated by Western countries – once colonizers of their countries. Personally, I think it was brilliant that he did not go to the party whether or not he was invited.

When in China, President Duterte’s last words to Filipino and Chinese businessmen were “I declare in this venue the Philippines’ separation from the United States.” The words drew wide applause. It was clear and simple. Yet, there were different interpretations of what he had said from some cabinet members and media. Some said it was because he was not fluent in English and that if he had he would have used softer, more diplomatic words to say what he meant. The pro-Americans said he should not make friends with China at the expense of America. The meaning which he meant was separation and not divorce or anything drastic. But I thought the statement was emphatic enough.

More revealing was the wide applause from the crowd – it was a spontaneous reaction to what he said. It is the applause which gave it the meaning and that the rest of the world agreed with him and marveled at his courage in daring to say it to be understood by everybody.

Think of how many interpretations could be made with a few words. But said in Duterte style, it was effective. If it was said in anything it would have fallen flat, but the truth came shining through because it was said so plainly that I will concede that his style of speaking best illustrates his meaning. What he says and what he means are one. It addressed the most important issue of relations between the Philippines and America and that it needed to be made during his state visit to China. For that, he was being punished by not getting an invitation to the G20 party.

Unfortunately, Malacañang’s explanation that Duterte was not invited falls right into the trap being laid out for him by the G20 summit. It is the wrong answer. It said President Rodrigo Duterte was not present in the G20 Summit held in Hamburg, Germany last week because the Philippine government did not lobby for an invitation. Why should he lobby for an invitation? Asean is not a social climber. It is part of an up and coming region that cannot be ignored.

According to the G20’s website, international organizations also participate regularly in the G20 summits, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Financial Stability Board, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, the International Labor Organization, and the United Nations (UN). Again, so what? There is opinion that these are also used as imperialist channels to dominate fearful little countries.

The host further rubbed the wound by saying that “the Philippines did not belong to the invited guest countries.”

If the Asean chairman this year is not invited it is a breach of protocol to blame by the host if it is indeed the tradition that the Asean chairman is invited to the G20 Summit.

Indeed, times have changed with a provincial mayor of his little country  as President. Inevitably he brings along with him his other Asean colleagues to realize his vision for change in international politics. It is a courageous move we should applaud. It does not need an invitation.