Learn from experience
President Duterte quickly expressed regret as his mouthpieces embarked on damage control after his uncalled for “colorful” remarks directed at his US counterpart prompted Barack Obama to cancel their scheduled bilateral meeting in Vientiane.
Obama, speaking on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in the Lao capital, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to maintain a strong presence in the region and continue working particularly with its treaty allies. But at the same time, the US State Department and Obama’s endorsed replacement, Hillary Clinton, urged Duterte to show “respect” toward his counterparts.
Duterte aides claimed the bilateral meeting was canceled by mutual agreement and had simply been reset, but this looks more like face-saving. Still, by most indications, the damage to ties between the treaty allies can be temporary. Especially if the flap has taught President Duterte precious lessons in the power of words.
At this point his foreign counterparts can still dismiss his diatribes as the excited ranting of a newcomer in the international arena. But the President will have to grow quickly into the job and be prepared to take his place among world leaders. In Laos, he took over the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN. The Philippines is chairing the regional grouping as it marks its 50th year, which means the country will be hosting all the major ASEAN events including the next leaders’ summit in 2017.
The leader of ASEAN’s host country must be at his gracious best. This means fulfilling his promise to metamorphose into a butterfly. Metamorphosis requires change in both word and deed – which includes ending the trash talk.
For the president of the republic, there is no such thing as speaking for domestic consumption. Any word uttered by President Duterte even from the remotest mountain in the Philippines, especially if it affects another country, travels worldwide at cyber speed. Words meant as jokes may not be funny to others, and profanity-laced hyperboles can be taken seriously and threaten friendly ties.
President Duterte promised “real change” so he himself must be capable of transforming himself into a statesman. His debut on the world stage will not be criticized as a disaster or a national embarrassment if he shows that he is capable of learning from experience.