‘DFA should file protest over US intel report’

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines should file a diplomatic protest against the United States in response to a Washington-based think tank’s calling President Duterte a threat to democracy in the Asian region, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said yesterday.

“Anong pakialam nila sa atin, hindi ba? Sila nga itong maraming kalokohan sa iba’t ibang bansa (What’s their business meddling? They’re the ones involved in shenanigans in other countries),” Alvarez, a Duterte ally, said in a radio interview yesterday.

An unclassified US report released last Feb. 12 tagged Duterte as a threat to democracy in the region, citing his bloody war on drugs and his avowed readiness to junk the Constitution and declare a revolutionary government.

“In the Philippines, President Duterte will continue to wage his signature campaign against drugs, corruption and crime. Duterte has suggested he could suspend the Constitution, declare a ‘revolutionary government’ and impose nationwide martial law,” the report said.

But Alvarez, a Davao del Norte congressman, pointed out it was actually the other way around.

The House leader said it is the US which poses a threat to democracy with its brazen interference in the internal affairs of other countries to preserve its global hegemony.

He urged Filipinos to unite and protect the sovereignty of the Philippines from what he called undue interference from the US.

“They’ve been meddling in our affairs for so long. It’s now time we show them they can’t mess with our sovereignty,” he said.

But the PDP-Laban stalwart stressed the Philippines should maintain its good relations with the US while protecting national interest.

“For me, we’re still friends but I suggest we create a United Nations of Asia so we can protect our interest – here in Asia,” he said in Filipino.

“We can preserve our interest in Asia. We don’t need Western nations because in the first place their economy is falling and they’re depending on the economy of Asia,” he said.

He claimed the United Nations is now useless and should be abolished. Even US President Donald Trump, Alvarez said, wanted the world body dismantled.

Malacañang has disputed the US report, saying Duterte is no autocrat and is strongly committed to the rule of law.

Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa belittled the US intelligence community’s assessment of President Duterte, calling it “opinionated.”

“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. We at the intelligence community in the Philippine community can also give an assessment that the US is a threat to Philippine democracy,” Dela Rosa said in an ambush interview at Camp Crame.

“It’s their opinion. We can also make a similar opinion,” he said. – Emmanuel Tupas