Unending word war

After ending his word war with former American president Barack Obama with a public apology last week while he was on a state visit in Israel, President Rodrigo Duterte kicked dusts anew at the expense of incumbent United States President Donald Trump. It’s not as if taking side on this issue but the unfiltered mouth of President Duterte is again taking him into yet another troubled relationship with the US leadership.

At the end of his shortened state visit to Jordan last Friday, President Duterte pointed to Trump’s tariff policy against products from China as among the sources of international pressures that have fueled a steep rising of inflation in the Philippines. For the past three consecutive months, the national average of inflation rate in the Philippines have gone up beyond projections of Duterte economic managers.

“Inflation is because of Trump. When Trump raised (US) tariff and banned other items, things went haywire,” the Chief Executive told the OFW community. He, however, assuaged them his economic managers are wracking their brains on how to curb the further rise of inflation.

“I am not apologizing. There is really inflation and we are trying to control it,” the former Davao City Mayor said.

He clarified he is not making excuses but argued every President of the country, not just him, went through inflation problems during their respective watch.

This was after inflation hit a nine-year record high of 6.4% in August, faster than the 2.6% recorded of the same month last year. It was also faster than the 5.7% recorded last July. Duterte economic managers attributed the record-high inflation in August to higher electricity, gas, fuels, fish, rice, personal transport, vegetables and meat prices.

Earlier, the Duterte economic managers admitted that higher prices could be attributed to a certain degree to the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law that took effect in January this year. However, they argued TRAIN impact accounted only for 0.7% of the 5.7% July inflation rate and that its effect would only be a temporary blip. But they blamed the rest of the inflationary factors as largely influenced by the unexpected oil price crisis in the global market and the peso-dollar fluctuations.

Speaking before the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Jordan, President Duterte apparently spilled out the beans that his economic managers have not publicly spoken on what has been pushing up the prices of basic goods and services in our country. Saying he was not avoiding the backlash for the rising prices of goods, President Duterte blurted out Trump’s tariff policy has something to do with the rising commodity prices.

Repeatedly admitting his little knowledge on the economics subject in the past, President Duterte could not say or explain how the Trump tariff policy on Chinese products affected the Philippines. The US slapped tariffs on several Chinese goods because of the alleged intellectual property violations of China, a major trading partner of both the US and the Philippines. A large chunk of imported goods from China are agricultural products that are being sold in Philippine markets.

In his press conference at Davao City international airport upon arrival last Saturday, President Duterte anew pointed to Trump’s tariff policy as having pushed prices up in our markets to a large extent. Obviously, President Duterte could not care less if Trump who is his beshie – to borrow the popular word for “best friend” used by youngsters – might not take his jab on his US tariff policy in good light.

During the same press conference in Davao City, Mayor Duterte disclosed though he intends to call up and talk with the US President whom he called as “Pareng Trump” for possible purchase of weapons and other firearms from the US for the use of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

According to him, he came up with his planned talks with Trump while watching a demonstration in a military training facility in Jordan. “Mag-usap pa kami ni pareng Trump kasi… I have – wala ako, I have nothing against the American people, not the slightest even misgiving kay Trump,” the President pointed out.

This was a complete turnaround from his previous adamant stance against too much dependence on the US for the military equipment requirements of the AFP and the PNP.

Just a month ago, President Duterte frothed in the mouth in anger when a visiting American sub-Cabinet official cautioned the Philippine government from its reported plans to procure weapons from Russia. In his emotional outburst in public anew, Mayor Duterte bared a letter sent to him by three Trump Cabinet officials – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross – telling him that US weapons and other defense equipment are beneficial to both interests of the Philippines and the US.

Then President Duterte repeated supposed possible assassination attempts or plots to oust him being allegedly engineered by unnamed elements in the US Central Intelligence Agency.

Could this sudden turnabout in planned US arms purchase got something to do with rumored rumblings within the AFP?

President Duterte has acknowledged in public there are indeed pro-US sentiments within the rank of the AFP and the PNP – the US being a traditional and historical ally of the Philippines.

Or, is it the aftermath of President Duterte’s raging “word war” with former rebel soldier-turned politician Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV?

Following the withdrawal of amnesty grant that President Duterte issued under Proclamation 572 before he left the country last week, Trillanes is facing possible reopening of his rebellion and other criminal cases against him and his arrest and detention.

As the Commander-in-chief of the AFP and the PNP, President Duterte should not allow his personal war with Trillanes to cloud his decisions. Meanwhile, their word war is getting uglier.