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MANILA – US-Philippines ties are going through “bumps on the road”, however, the Philippine military has the capacity to stay afloat even if treaty ally, the United States, were to withdraw aid, the Defense minister said on Friday.
The Philippines intends to buy arms from China and Russia and there have been no adverse reaction from within the military to President Rodrigo Duterte’s vows to scale back defense ties with the United States, Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana’s remarks suggested he was following other top officials in Duterte’s administration in rallying behind the maverick president’s tough anti-US agenda after weeks of scrambling to manage the fallout from his outbursts and threats to downgrade the alliance.
Lorenzana had on Wednesday set a conciliatory tone, saying Duterte may have been misinformed when he said US-Philippine military exercises were no benefit to his country.
But on Friday Lorenzana said the value of US military aid to the Philippines was “not that much”, and the military could ask Congress to make up for a shortfall of some $50 million-$100 million a year in US military aid.
“We can live without (that),” Lorenzana told a foreign correspondents’ forum.
Duterte, well known for a ruthless stand against crime from his years as mayor of Davao City, won the May election on a promise to wipe out drugs and criminality.
Some 3,600 people have been killed in his anti-drugs crusade and he has been enraged by questions about human rights, from the United States and others, that the bloodshed has raised.
Duterte said on Thursday if the United States and European Union objected to his drugs war and wished to withdraw aid, they should do so, and the Philippines would not beg.
US State Department spokesman John Kirby responded saying total US assistance to the Philippines in the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1 was $180 million “and we’re committed” to delivering that.
Lorenzana said he believed Duterte’s objective was to diversify Philippines’ foreign ties and cut dependency on former colonial ruler the United States.
“The president is trying to develop a relationship with the US that is not too dependent on one country,” he said.
Duterte has caused a diplomatic storm by declaring that joint US-Philippines military exercises would cease, a defense agreement would be reviewed and, at an undisclosed time, he might “break up” with the United States.
“Maybe we should re-assess (the relationship),” Lorenzana said. “Are we benefiting, are we getting what we should be getting from alliance? It is part of this growing up.” (Reuters)
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