A LAWMAKER who used to be a military rebel has asked the leadership of the House of Representatives to review and assess the foreign-policy posture of the Duterte administration.
In House Resolution 483, Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano of Magdalo said President Duterte exclaimed that his administration will pursue an “independent foreign policy”, and will reject any interference by foreign governments.
Under Article 2, Section 7 of the Constitution, “the State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other States, the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination.”
While admitting that an independent foreign policy is vital in the pursuit of development and the territorial integrity, Alejano, however, said the conflicting statements and sharp comments of President Duterte against the country’s allies and trade partners may have been contributed to the slide of Philippine peso, which sank to its lowest rate after seven years.
“His conflicting statements have also eroded the confidence and trust of investors, as they pulled money from the nation’s assets amid concerns about the President’s policies,” Alejano, of the independent minority bloc, said.
“A clear strategic policy is vital in our relations with members of the international community, as it dictates how we interact with our neighbors, allies, and trading partners,” he added.
On Thursday Mr. Duterte announced during his state visit to China that he had decided to cut military, as well as economic, ties with the United States.
Moreover, Alejano said the number of conflicting statements made by the President and his Cabinet officials tend to put most Filipinos, its officials and even its legislators in the dark as to “where we are heading based on their differing statements in relations to the Philippines’s
foreign policy.”
“It is necessary for members of the House of Representatives to review, assess and clarify the independent foreign-policy posture that the current administration wishes to pursue, so that it can effectively support the President’s initiatives,” the lawmaker said.
Recently, Alejano said President Duterte and Foreign Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay Jr. gave conflicting statements with regard to Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca), wherein the President wanted a review of the defense deal, noting that the agreement did not contain the signature of the Philippine President.
Yasay, however, countered this statement the following day, when he said there is no need to review the Edca for now, as the Supreme Court has upheld its legality.
In August, Alejano added, barely a month after the United Nations arbitration tribunal’s ruling in the maritime dispute favoring the Philippines, Mr. Duterte also said there will be a bloody war if China will insist on trampling the sovereign rights of the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea, but retracted his statement during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador, where he stated that he is willing to temporarily set aside the ruling so as not to endanger the ongoing talks with China.
In September the lawmaker added that Duterte said he wanted United States military forces out of Mindanao, and blamed the Americans for inflaming local Muslim insurgencies, only to be renounced later by members of the Cabinet that the statement was made because the President fears for the safety of the American troops.
“Also last September the President announced that the Armed Forces will neither hold nor be a part of joint patrol activities in the disputed sea, as it may be deemed a hostile act by China, but it was clarified later on by Foreign Secretary Yasay that the joint patrols will continue on the Philippine territorial waters, but not within our exclusive economic zone,” he said.