Meet with Duterte, US State chief Kerry urged

MANILA, Philippines — United States (US) Secretary of State John Kerry should visit President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to secure the Philippines-US relationship, an analyst said.

Center for Strategic and International Studies fellow John Schaus said that Kerry should be the first cabinet official to meet with Duterte when he assumes office and directly hear his objectives.

"The first step in securing the US-Philippine relationship in the next administration is to meet with Duterte, listen to his views, and start that conversation. This is something only Secretary Kerry can do, and he should," Schaus said in his article published by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

Schaus added that Kerry should hear what Duterte sees for cooperating with the US and reassure him of the US commitment to the mutual defense treaty between the two countries.

"The secretary can reinforce the message the United States has delivered to the Philippines throughout the Obama administration, emphasizing the importance of partnership and cooperation to enhance the security of both the Philippines and the region as a whole," Schaus said.

Only US President Barack Obama and Ambassador Philip Goldberg were able to interact with Duterte upon being proclaimed as the incoming Philippine president.

Obama spoke with Duterte by phone while Goldberg traveled to Davao City earlier this month for a courtesy call.

Duterte said he asked US Ambassador Philip Goldberg in a recent meeting, “Are you with us or are you not with us?” adding that Goldberg responded, “Only if you are attacked." Goldberg was referring to the two countries' Mutual Defense Treaty providing that they will "act to meet common dangers" when one is attacked.

Schaus noted that Duterte is not well-known to US foreign policy establishment and might be a difficult leader for Washington to work with.

"Duterte is not reflexively pro-American and has expressed serious concerns about both the history of US involvement in the Philippines and the credibility of the US treaty commitment to defend his country," Schaus said.

However, Duterte had expressed willingness to engage directly with China to resolve the South China Sea dispute.

The Philippines earlier filed an arbitration case against China before a United Nations tribunal. The international tribunal is expected to issue a ruling on the case soon.