Philippine policy toward US ‘the right thing’ – Romualdez

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ stepped-up relationship with the United States is the “right thing” and part of the former colony’s defense strategy against perceived bully states, according to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez.

For Romualdez, the shift in foreign policy to one more US-aligned under President Marcos is seen as a threat to China.

In an interview aired over “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News last Saturday night, the ambassador said the US government has been offering Washington’s “iron-clad” support and commitment to the Philippines in many ways since the administration of former US president Donald Trump.

“We have now stepped up our relationship with our old ally in the United States. This is where we have been very clear, it’s part of our defense strategy,” Romualdez said.

He noted that the stepping-up of the relationship with Washington is seen as part of the pushback.

“Of course, there were a lot of doubts at that time, but now, it’s very clear that it’s aligned with their interests that we push back, and so I think what we’re doing right now is the right thing,” he said.

The ambassador explained that former president Rodrigo Duterte had his own brand of foreign policy reaching out to China to find peaceful ways to address the differences with Beijing, but experts said this considerably weakened the Philippine position.

“There was a glimmer of hope that (the Chinese) were going to stop, and in fact, we had an agreement that nothing would happen to our Ayungin Shoal and that was the agreement then – no movement, nothing, but obviously, that didn’t work,” Romualdez said.

“It was a good try for us to approach China in such a way that we wanted to sit down and work together, especially on the exploration… So there was a glimmer of hope that things will get better, but I guess history will have to be the judge if things did get any better,” he added.

Marcos had since shifted away from six years of Duterte’s pivot to China.

“It’s a different situation we’re in right now. President Marcos has always clearly said that it is an evolving relationship that we have with our number one ally the United States and it has come to this, that it is more interesting now to strengthen our relationship with the United States, especially our defense strategy,” Romualdez said.

He added that new sites for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement are also a signal that the Philippines is pushing back.

The Philippines has ramped up its military ties with the US this year and allowed greater US access to local military bases, which angered China.

China condemned the new sites, saying they threaten the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific and are aimed directly at Beijing.

“That’s a signal that we’re pushing back, and I’ve always said that if we’re going to sit down with our neighbors to the north, the Chinese, we have to sit, we have to talk to them from a position of strength,” Romualdez said.

The Philippines’ discussion with countries, including the US, Australia and Japan, to conduct joint patrol is also one aspect of the Philippines pushing back.

Romualdez stated that the country is now making very clear that it is going to start moving in the direction of being able to patrol its own territory.

He called the Chinese territorial expansion claims in the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea and the new map as “very serious” challenges.

“The arbitral award has definitely given us another leverage in the international community, which is very important for us right now. While we have the international community with us, this is an opportunity for us to really push back on what China is doing,” Romualdez said.

Nations have rejected and protested China’s new standard map, an expansive 10-dash line map, which covers regions beyond its borders and claims in the South China Sea.