Philippines in Duterte damage control
AAP on September 13, 2016, 7:49 pm
The Philippines has moved to shore up relations with the US with guarantees that a treaty between them will be honoured and security ties are "rock solid", despite President Rodrigo Duterte's railings against Washington.
The firebrand leader launched more verbal salvos on Monday about what he called atrocities under American colonial rule, calling for the pullout of US special forces stationed in the restive south that he said were complicating counter-insurgency operations.
Duterte is hugely popular at home for his brash remarks and take-charge style, but his frequent tirades against Washington, including calling both President Barack Obama and his ambassador to Manila a "son of a bitch", have tested a relationship of strategic importance to both sides.
Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said Duterte's remarks, including that the southern Philippines "would never have peace" while allied with Washington, were not a sign that a pact between them would be abrogated.
"The president has said ... that we will respect and continue to honour our treaty obligations and commitments," Yasay said in a radio interview.
At an official ceremony on Monday, Duterte said US special forces could become high-value targets for Abu Sayyaf rebels notorious for kidnapping and beheading foreigners.
But that, the military said in a statement, would only entail the exit of a "token" number of Americans, and broader defence programs with the United States would remain intact.
"Philippine-US defence relations remain rock solid," armed forces spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said.
As his administration scurried to put out fires, Duterte followed up with a guarantee of his own, saying the Philippines would not "cut our umbilical cord" with allies, but would pursue its own path.
"We are not, we could never be, just a small country and to be shouted at or lectured upon," he said.
