MANILA -- The Philippines has started to wind down
its military alliance with the U.S., suspending joint maritime patrols
in the South China Sea, as President Rodrigo Duterte spearheads a
foreign policy that is less dependent on Manila's former colonial
master.
"We have informed our [U.S.] counterparts that there [would be] no joint patrols in the meantime," Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters on Friday.
The move marks the first concrete action from the Philippines, whose firebrand new leader is increasingly overturning his predecessor's foreign policy.
Joint patrols were launched early this year, under the administration of then-president Benigno Aquino, to counter China's growing expansionism in the South China Sea. However, Duterte, who came to power on June 30, has opted to engage China in bilateral talks to resolve the territorial dispute.
Infuriated by U.S. President Barack Obama's criticism of his controversial campaign against illegal drugs, in which around 3,600 people have been killed, Duterte has made several declarations aimed at downgrading Philippines' defense partnership with the U.S.
While no formal requests have been made, Duterte said the 107 American military personnel assisting local soldiers with surveillance should leave the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where they are based, as they could be targeted by terrorists. He also added that the ongoing joint military exercises between Americans and Filipinos would be the last under his administration.
Duterte on Oct. 4 said he will eventually "break with America" and "would rather go to China and Russia."
Lorenzana said he has been ordered by Duterte to visit those countries to look into the possible acquisition of military equipment, despite compatibility issues with that currently in use by the Philippines.
Lorenzana went on to say that the Philippines can manage without the between $50 million and $100 million in military aid that is extended by Washington annually. "We can live without those aids. Our congress will give us more if we don't have sources of other funds," he said.
Duterte has been stirring up anti-American sentiment in the Philippines since Washington began bringing up human rights issues related to his war on drugs. On Thursday, the Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. released a sharply-worded statement, saying it was time to put "an end to our nation's subservience to United States' interests."
"We have informed our [U.S.] counterparts that there [would be] no joint patrols in the meantime," Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters on Friday.
The move marks the first concrete action from the Philippines, whose firebrand new leader is increasingly overturning his predecessor's foreign policy.
Joint patrols were launched early this year, under the administration of then-president Benigno Aquino, to counter China's growing expansionism in the South China Sea. However, Duterte, who came to power on June 30, has opted to engage China in bilateral talks to resolve the territorial dispute.
Infuriated by U.S. President Barack Obama's criticism of his controversial campaign against illegal drugs, in which around 3,600 people have been killed, Duterte has made several declarations aimed at downgrading Philippines' defense partnership with the U.S.
While no formal requests have been made, Duterte said the 107 American military personnel assisting local soldiers with surveillance should leave the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where they are based, as they could be targeted by terrorists. He also added that the ongoing joint military exercises between Americans and Filipinos would be the last under his administration.
Duterte on Oct. 4 said he will eventually "break with America" and "would rather go to China and Russia."
Lorenzana said he has been ordered by Duterte to visit those countries to look into the possible acquisition of military equipment, despite compatibility issues with that currently in use by the Philippines.
Lorenzana went on to say that the Philippines can manage without the between $50 million and $100 million in military aid that is extended by Washington annually. "We can live without those aids. Our congress will give us more if we don't have sources of other funds," he said.
Duterte has been stirring up anti-American sentiment in the Philippines since Washington began bringing up human rights issues related to his war on drugs. On Thursday, the Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. released a sharply-worded statement, saying it was time to put "an end to our nation's subservience to United States' interests."
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