By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – Vice President Sara Duterte declared over the weekend the need for the Philippines to maintain an independent foreign policy and avoid getting involved in the disputes between the United States and China. In what is considered the sharpest criticism against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the Vice President slammed Marcos for leaning towards the US and for allowing American missile system on Philippine soil, which angered China..
“Our Constitution clearly states that we should have an independent foreign policy. Our relationship with the U.S. and our relationship with China should be two separate engagements,” Vice President Duterte said.
VP Sara also stressed that the tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea don’t make up the entirety of the relations between the two countries.
“You have to always stay in the middle because you are not part of the bigger conflict,” she explained. “You are friends with US, yes. You are friends with China, yes. And why not?”
“Right now, the administration is clearly leaning toward the U.S. while pushing China away. I’ve asked for clarity on where our independent foreign policy stands in all this,” she said.
Vice President Duterte argued that the Philippines,should avoid getting entangled in what she called a “game of supremacy and domination” between two major powers.
“To play that game, you need money and power, which we don’t have now. We’ll get there in the future, but not now. We should stay in the middle,” the Vice President said.
She reiterated that Manila should treat its ties with Washington and Beijing as separate and distinct, rather than relying on one to solve disputes with the other.
Vice President Duterte’s remarks come amid ongoing maritime tensions and increased joint military activities between the Philippines and the United States, actions that have drawn sharp criticism from Beijing.
