Duterte serves notice to US that Oct. 4-12 joint military exercises would be the last

President Duterte served notice to the United States (US) Wednesday night that the joint amphibious landing exercises with the Philippines set for October 4-12, 2016 would be the last between the two allies.

The Chief Executive announced this while addressing the Filipino community in Hanoi. But he assured that the Philippines would honor long-standing military treaties with the US but would no longer participate in future US-led sea patrols in the South China Sea to prevent antagonizing China.

“You are scheduled to hold war games again, which China does not want. I would serve notice to you now that this will be the last military exercise. Jointly, Philippines-US, the last one,” Duterte said.

“I’m serving notice now to the Americans and to those who are allies: I will maintain the military alliance because there is a PH-US pact which our countries signed in the early ’50s but I will establish new alliances for trade and commerce,” he added. Duterte was referring to the Mutual Defense Treaty signed by the Philippines and the US in 1951. Under the pact, the two allies would support each other in case one is under attack.

 “We’re not aware of any such decision,” said State Department Spokesman John Kirby when asked in a press briefing Wednesday (Washington time) if the US government has received any notification that the scheduled joint Philippine military and US Marines annual amphibious landing exercises will be the last.

Kirby stressed that the US government will continue to focus on its relationship with the Philippines and work together in many areas of mutual interest to help improve the livelihoods of the Filipinos and to uphold shared democratic values.

“Our relationship with the Philippines is broad and our alliance is one of the most enduring and important relationships in the Asia Pacific region,” he said in the media briefing a transcript of which was posted in the official website of the US State Department. “It has been a cornerstone of stability for over 70 years. It’s built on shared sacrifices for democracy and human rights, and strong people-to-people and societal ties, and obviously we’d like to see that to continue.”

STATEMENT DOWNPLAYED

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. were quick to downplay the President’s pronouncement.

Esperon said the President could have mentioned suspending the country’s war games with the United States only for this year, not for his entire term.

“Ang pagkaintindi ko, it’s the last for the year. We will clarify,” Esperon told Manila-based reporters shortly after the President’s statement before the Filipino community.

Esperon explained the President’s strategy was moving toward the “demilitarization” of the area near the disputed South China Sea to avoid escalation of the tension.

Yasay, for his part, claimed that the President never declared putting an end to the joint military exercises with the US.

Yasay, in another media interview here, said the President merely repeated an earlier announcement that he would no longer allow the country to participate in joint sea patrols with another foreign nation in the South China Sea.

“What he said was that, as he said before, there will be no joint patrols with a gray ship of any nation in the South China Sea because that would be a provocative act,” he said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is set to hold joint naval exercises with its US counterpart in Luzon next month. The war games involve amphibious landing exercise, live-fire training, and human civic assistance efforts.

In the same speech before the Filipino community, the President affirmed that the country will no longer participate in any joint sea patrols with foreign nations in the South China Sea. He said he would not send “gray ships” or warships in the disputed territory to prevent escalating the tension in the area.

“I will not join any patrol in the China Sea na ships – gray ships ba ‘yung battle na ships – ang white is the Coast Guard. Ang warship, they call it the gray ship. There will never be an occasion that I will send the gray ships there not because I am afraid,” he said.

Duterte denied the government was hesitant to assert its territorial right in the area.

He argued that the country’s conflict with China was “more of an imaginary thing.” He said the government would not resort to violence or force to settle the maritime dispute despite the favorable ruling from the international tribunal.

“Anyway, I have this ruling of the international arbitration court which says that ‘yung South China Sea, the entitlements there are ours,” he said.

“There will always be a time to reckon the thing with. When that time comes, sabihin ko sa China, ‘Ito ‘yung amin. I will talk to you but I will not go out of the four corners of this paper.’ Pero, it is not the time to die,” he added.

WAR REJECTED

Duterte said he was not ready to commit Filipino soldiers “just to be massacred” in the lingering territorial conflict. He said he refuses to wage war since the battleground would likely be Palawan or some part of the country.

The President’s latest military strategy came after he called for the pullout of the US troops from Mindanao to avoid escalation of the Muslim insurgency.  Duterte had earlier said Americans were in danger of getting kidnapped or killed since Muslims still resent their atrocities from previous colonial period.

The country’s relations with the United States have been strained since Duterte came into power last June. He has openly criticized US policies as well as taken offense at Washington’s criticism of his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs. Last Monday, Duterte claimed he was about to cross the Rubicon in his relationship with the United States.

While shifting away from the United States, the President reiterated that he would open new alliances with Russia and China particularly on trade and investments.

Duterte said he would visit the two countries soon to facilitate closer economic cooperation.

“I will visit China. I will open the doors for investment, lahat open, pati Internet mamili ka. Pati bowl diyan sa banyo buksan ko ‘yan,” he said.

He said Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev has already invited him to visit Russia to formally discuss possible enhanced economic cooperation between the two countries.

“Sabi ko, ‘Mr. Prime Minister, I’ve always wanted to ask for your help. They might touch the economy, they might do something – I know because that is what they do for countries that are really weak and under their control.’ Sabi ni Medvedev, “visit Russia and we will talk formally,’” he added. (With a report from Roy C. Mabasa)

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Genalyn Kabiling

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