Duterte to US: ’Leave us alone’
THE Philippines would rather live in peace than go to war alongside the United States, President Rodrigo Duterte said amid tensions over the lingering presence of Chinese vessels in the disputed waters.
In his prerecorded public address aired on Friday, Duterte said he would never let Philippine troops participate in any war with the US under his watch.
This, as he lamented that the past administration, upon the US’ advice, ordered the immediate withdrawal of Philippine ships from Panatag Shoal in 2012 without seeking “mutually acceptable” parameters with China.
“Please do not include my country in your… Sa panahon ko, there will never be a time that I will allow my soldiers to go somewhere to fight and join the Americans kung anong — whatever you — wherever you create,” Duterte said.
“We do not fight with anybody, there’s no — there’s really no point in acquiring ballistic missiles. We just asked to be — to be left alone and live in peace,” he added.
The President said he has “no quarrel with the Americans” but asked the country’s long-time ally not to include him in its disputes.
He also has no intention of listening or following the US like the past administration officials did during the Panatag Shoal standoff with China.
“Please do not include me with you. Baka tingin ninyo sa akin kagaya nitong mga insurektos na ito. Hindi mo ako mapasunod diyan (You might think I’m like the insurrecto. You can’t order me around),” he added.
In the same remarks, the President once again chided former Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio and former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario over their supposed participation in the Philippines’ decision to withdraw ships from Scarborough Shoal.
On April 29, del Rosario recalled that there was an agreement brokered by the US in 2012 for the Philippines and China to withdraw their ships from Scarborough Shoal to resolve the standoff in the area.
China, however, “deceitfully breached” the deal by refusing to withdraw its vessels.
If he were Carpio and del Rosario, the President said he would never order the Philippine vessels to leave Panatag Shoal.
“Ako, hindi ako aalis doon (I would not leave if I were you) ...Carpio, at ikaw Albert, bakit ganoon? Bakit pumayag ka agad na derecho? Hindi naman sa segurista ka (Carpio and Albert, why did you do that? Why did you order the withdrawal immediately without hesitation)?” Duterte said.
“Ang sabi ng Amerika, ‘Kapag pinag-awayan ninyo, territorial disputes, hindi kami makialam.’ Hindi nga kayo nakialam pero nakialam kayo, pinaatras ninyo ang Pilipinas. Eh kayo naman kasi, puro what the Americans say, susunod-sunod lang kayo (America said, ‘When you fight over territorial disputes, we will not interfere.’ You did not interfere, but you ordered the Philippines to withdraw. And the past administration listened to what the Americans say),” he added.
In February last year, the Philippine government, on the President’s instruction, notified the US it was scrapping the Visiting Forces Agreement, a pact approved in 1998 allowing American troops participating in joint military drills to enter the country without passport or visa.
The pact remains in effect after Duterte in June last year held back its abrogation “in light of political and other developments in the region.”
On April 23, the Philippines and the US concluded this year’s 2021 Balikatan (shoulder-toshoulder) exercises.
About 225 US military personnel and 415 Philippine soldiers participated with strict observance of health and safety protocols due to the pandemic.