President Duterte directs the Armed Forces of the Philippines to stop joining patrol operations with the US to prevent the country from getting involved to a war.
President Rodrigo Duterte has formally ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to back-out from the joint patrol at the South China Sea with the United States military.
According to Pres. Duterte, this is part and parcel of a new and independent foreign policy to be undertaken by the Philippines.
The chief executive officer said that the AFP should stop joining to the naval patrol operations of US before the country can get involved in a war.
“I’m formulating a new foreign policy, edi neutral. At saka iyong sabi ng mga Amerikano, mag patrol-patrol diyan sa China Sea, I will not allow the Armed Forces to do that. Stop it. Why should we go, you go in the joint patrol, tapos nagka-giyera – kapag nagka-giyera saan ang battle ground? Di ang Palawan. Kalokohan iyan. Mag-giyera lang kayo diyan. Okay na kami dito, pa-inaugurate, inaugurate na lang kami”, said Duterte in his speech during the inaugural ceremony of the Misamis Oriental Power Plant on September 22, Thursday.
(I’m formulating a new foreign policy, of course, neutral. And what has been said by Americans to do patrol operations in the China Sea, I will not allow the Armed Forces to do that. Stop it. Why should we go, you go in the joint patrol then a war takes place – if war happens, where is the battle ground? Of course, Palawan. That is crazy. You go to war [addressing the Americans]. We are fine here, we will just do inaugurations.)
Duterte has previously urged the US Special Forces to pull-out from Mindanao to give way for peace in the region.
But despite of his pronouncements, the Philippines maintains military alliance with the US.
The good bilateral ties between the two countries also remains.