Duterte asserts PH sovereignty to others, except China – analyst

MANILA, Philippines – A political analyst called out President Rodrigo Duterte for the “double standard” in his foreign policy.

Bobby Tuazon, director for policy studies of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance, pointed out the stark differences between the President’s relationship with China and other countries and entities.

“[Duterte] compromises sovereignty when it comes to [his] relationship with China and then he asserts sovereignty when it comes to international organizations,” Tuazon said during the 11th State of the Presidency Forum at the University of the Philippines Diliman on Friday, July 19.

With China, according to Tuazon, the Duterte administration has a “separation of contentious issues and non-contentious issues through peaceful dialogues and negotiations and the bilateral consultative mechanism.”

Duterte’s critics have said that the relations between Manila and Beijing are strengthening at the expense of the Philippines’ maritime territory and resources. (READ: Duterte vs fishermen: Is the Philippines lawyering for China?)

The President himself dismissed as an “ordinary maritime traffic accident” the Recto Bank (Reed Bank) incident where a Chinese vessel rammed Filipino fishing boat Gem-Ver and abandoned its 22 fishermen at sea.

On the other hand, Duterte has constantly attacked international institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the European Union (EU).

The EU has been vocal about alleged human rights violations under the Duterte administration, angering the President. (READ: Malacañang: PH has right to deny entry of EU party official)

The Philippines’ violent anti-drug campaign has led to at least 5,500 deaths in police operations, while human rights groups peg the number at more than 20,000 to include those killed vigilante-style. (READ: The Impunity Series) – Rappler.com

Macel Pagdanganan is an intern at Rappler. She is an incoming sophomore journalism student at the University of Santo Tomas.