MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – “A whole level of betrayal.”

Senator Leila de Lima slammed President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement of the country’s “separation” from the United States during a state visit to China.

The President’s fiercest critic hit Duterte for announcing his “horrible foreign policy” in front of foreigners instead of his countrymen. (READ: Palace: Don’t ‘interpret’ Duterte split from US)

“It’s one thing to keep your Cabinet members in the dark – which is deeply troubling in itself – but it’s a whole level of betrayal to keep that from the Filipino people, and to announce it for the first time in front of foreigners,” De Lima said in a statement on Friday, October 21.

Borrowing the words of Senator Richard Gordon used against her in a recent hearing on the rise of extrajudicial killings, De Lima said Duterte clearly committed “material concealment” with his act. It is not what Filipinos signed up for, she said, citing a survey that shows Filipinos trust the US more than China.

“To borrow the eloquent words of my colleague Senator Gordon, what a ‘material concealment’ from the Filipino people!” De Lima said.

De Lima said official visits to China are really about extravagance, but this should not blind the President. She reminded him that he is not a god and that it is not just his own life at stake in the decisions he makes.

“This is what an official visit to China looks like: they will wine you, dine you, roll out the red carpets, and treat you like queens and kings. It’s a really good feeling.”

“Huwag mong ibenta ang mga Pilipino sa ideolohiyang tatalikod sa minamahal nilang kalayaan at demokratikong pamumuhay sa ilalim ng ating Konstitusyon. Nangako kang tatalima sa Konstitusyon, do it. You have no right to put yourself above the sovereignty of the people. Hindi ka diyos,” she said.

(Don’t sell out the Philippines to ideologies against their beloved freedom and democratic way of life enshrined in our Constitution. You promised to follow the Constitution, do it. You have no right to put yourself above the sovereignty of the people. You’re not a god.)

De Lima is a member of the Philippine team that brought the maritime dispute with China to The Hague in Netherlands. The Permanent Court of Arbitration eventually ruled against China’s claim over the entire South China Sea based on its 9-dash line. (READ: Philippines wins case vs China)

Backlash

Duterte’s pronouncement also did not sit well with senators from the minority bloc.

Minority Leader Ralph Recto, who has repeatedly urged Duterte to slow down with his words, said any sudden change in the country’s foreign policy direction should be well thought out.

“Any drastic shift in our foreign policy direction should be well-thought out and not simply blurted out. Because of its far-reaching implications, it cannot be an announce-now-study-later thing,” Recto said in a statement.

The senator said there is no need to antagonize any nation, especially the US, which is home to the largest number of Filipinos abroad.

The US, he said, is also the biggest source of foreign exchange remittances of the country, one of the biggest donors, and a major market of Philippines products and services, such as the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. (READ: Duterte vs US: PH to lose 3rd largest trading partner)

“Foreign policy rebalancing should not mean that we swing the pendulum to the other extreme, that we dump old friends for new suitors. We should practice big-tent diplomacy, welcoming all, and shunning no one. The national interest is served by extending amity to all, and hostility to none,” he said.

As for Duterte’s plan to “re-align” with China, Recto said the Asian giant is not a good example of a friend for illegally claiming part of our seas. (READ: Photos show China building hangars in West PH Sea)

“Yes, our relations with the United States may not be perfect. But a country which has illegally built a great wall of sand in our seas is not, and far from, the epitome of a good friend either,” he said.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Duterte’s pronouncements favoring China only mean one thing – that he is a communist.

“If he thinks like a communist, talks like a communist, frees the communists, and appoints the communists, then he must be a communist,” he said, reffering to Duterte’s seemingly soft stance on communists. 

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, a known Duterte ally, expressed concern on the possible backlash of the statement to the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

“Most of the companies operating in the BPO sector are from the US. I’m afraid if the time will come that they would decide to pull out. I hope that doesn’t happen,” Zubiri told reporters in Bacolod.

He, however, maintained he is still in favor of an independent foreign policy, one without antagonizing any nation.

“If one door closes, another opens. But I’m hoping we can keep all doors open for stronger economy,” he said. – Rappler.com