The President Filippino Duterte speaks clearly and responds to the stop in the sale of assault rifles (26.000 M4) destined for the Armed Forces and the Philippine Police, decided by the US State Department.
The controversy between Washington and Manila regarding the military supply of the Asian country has lasted for several weeks. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, an influential member of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, had asked in early November to stop supplying arms due to the continuing human rights violations perpetrated by the Philippine government.
Since Duterte declared war on drug trafficking and corruption, there has been talk of almost 3000 deaths among drug traffickers, often eliminated with loose change methods.
However, the human rights aspect seems to cover a significant deterioration in political relations between the United States and the Philippines (see article), determined by the sidereal distance of positions between the Obama administration and the new Manila leadership, in terms of security, fighting crime and above all foreign policy.
The Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter also spoke on the subject, recalling that the long alliance between the two countries is a heritage not to be wasted because it has brought important benefits to both over the decades.
Duterte, known for his direct and politically incorrect language, is once again not sent to say.
Referring to the alarm raised by Senator Cardin he would have declared
"If the US does not want to consider us allies, we will look at Russia and China ..."
He would then have added
"We need weapons for public order and to protect us from external enemies ... If America does not give them to us, Putin has already offered his availability ..."
The US role in the Pacific revolves around the historical relationship with Manila. Once the Obama administration has closed, for strategic developments it is necessary to wait for the first months of the 2017.
(photo: web)
