When it comes to President Rodrigo Duterte’s grand pronouncements, we have stopped trying to interpret what he says and have just adopted the wait-and-see approach.
This time around, Duterte has had everyone buzzing because of what he said during his visit to China. A Reuters report detailed Duterte’s most recent controversial statements.
At a forum in the Great Hall of the People that was attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, Duterte had supposedly said, “I’ve realigned myself in your [China] ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world — China, Philippines, and Russia. It’s the only way.”
Duterte then added, “With that, in this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States. I have separated from them. So I will be dependent on you for all time. But do not worry. We will also help as you help us.”
But what does this really mean?
In another Reuters report that sought the US government’s reaction, White House spokesman Eric Schultz was quoted as saying, “We have not received any official requests from Filipino officials to alter any of our many issues where we bilaterally cooperate.”
That said, we wait again for clarifications from the President’s people.
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