PHILIPPINES: 2016 Washington’s Fury as Philippine’s Elections Threaten US Anti-China Policy Duterte takes clear lead in Philippine elections. (Photo: IBT)Andrew Korybko The DuranMay 2016: As Filipinos choose their next President on Monday, prospect of election of anti-establishment candidate threatens the geopolitical viability of the US s Pivot to Asia.The Philippines votes for its next President on Monday.  Whilst the rest of the world pays little attention, strategists in Washington are worried.The electoral frontrunner is Rodrigo Duterte, an eccentric, no-nonsense former mayor from the southern island of Mindanao who commands a Trump-like popularity and an equally loyal following. He has shaken Philippine politics to its core over the past couple of months, defying establishment pundits who   just as they did with Trump   wrongly predicted that his campaign would fizzle out over the course of each passing week.Having totally underestimated just how dissatisfied most Filipinos are with the status quo, Duterte s rivals missed the chance to outshine him by his anti-system rhetoric. With the race in its final days that is now too late.  Instead   also paralleling what happened with Trump   there are desperate calls for coalitions and deals to stop him.Should these fail and should Duterte win on Monday, he promises a geopolitical revolution unlike anything the Philippines has ever seen in its history. Pivoting To Asia Through The PhilippinesThe US s Pivot to Asia was announced by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the fall of 2011 with the unstated but obvious goal of  containing  China. Key to this strategy is the  rebalancing    as the Pentagon calls it   of an estimated 60% of its overseas forces to the Asia-Pacific theatre. Such a major deployment requires many more bases than the US currently has in the region. The US has therefore sought the help of the loyal leader of its former Philippines colony, Benigno Aquino III, to find a way to re-open its bases in the Philippines which under popular pressure were closed in the 1990s.Using the  China threat  as the  plausibly justifiable  reason for doing so, but aware that the Philippines people still resent their former coloniser and are proud of having forced the US to close its Philippines bases at the end of the Cold War, the US has devised what it calls an  Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement  (EDCA) that allows for the  rotational presence  of American troops in at least five separate bases, one of which is located on the strategic island of Palawan that abuts the South China Sea.Although not legally  permanent  or  officially  controlled by the US, this wink-and-a-nod arrangement would in reality allow the US to redeploy its forces to the Philippines, returning the Philippines archipelago to the role of the US s second  unsinkable aircraft carrier  (alongside Japan) which it had during the Cold War.The  China Containment Coalition The Pentagon plans to use the Philippines as the maritime lynch of its  China Containment Coalition  (CCC), gathering all of its allies  navies together and deploying them within provocative striking range of China s claimed islands.The other three members of the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue   Japan, India, and Australia   would find their own way to  rotate  their military units throughout the Philippines islands as well, thereby forming the core of the CCC.To add a regional element to this mix, the plan is for the Philippines and Vietnam, both of which contest some of China s maritime claims, to intensify their strategic cooperation to the point of a mutual defence treaty. This would draw Vietnam into the network of the anti-China coalition being built up by Washington by using the defence ties between Vietnam and the Philippines to making the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue de facto allies of Vietnam.Altogether, the Pentagon plan is to produce a critical mass of hostile states near China s southern maritime border which backed by the US could quickly  counter  any moves by Beijing thereby  containing  it to the East Asian mainland.Duterte s RevolutionEverything was proceeding according to plan until Duterte began to question the  Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement . While his running mate has said Duterte would honour the agreement, he added that he would do so  from a position of strength .Back in October 2014, Duterte went on record to say the  Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement  should be scrapped if it allowed US servicemen in the Philippines to avoid justice for any crimes they committed.This pinpoints an issue very sensitive for Filipinos who have vivid memories of how US troops were able to escape punishment for acts of gross misbehaviour whilst the US military occupied its bases in the Philippines.  Public anger over this issue was one of the key factors in mobilising local opposition to the bases and explains why many Filipinos oppose their return.Since it is impossible to imagine such an incident not arising at some point, it is all but inevitable that a situation will occur which will fulfil Duterte s criterion for scrapping the  Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement  Taken together with Duterte s assertion that he intends to deal with the US  from a position of strength  it is easy to see how this might trigger the process of revoking the agreement.No Filipino politician has previously spoken about the US in this way.  Moreover other things he has said also suggest an intention to send a strongly independent line.Not surprisingly the Pentagon-affiliated publication  Starts and Stripes , which writes for US servicemen servicemen and their families, published a scathing critique of Duterte just last week.  Here are some excerpts: With Filipinos set to choose among five candidates on May 9, Duterte, the incumbent mayor of Davao City who has said the U.S.  should not meddle in our affairs,  holds a strong lead, according to the most recent poll released Sunday.Duterte is very popular now because people are sick and tired of the same old, same old,  said Virginia Bacay Watson, a professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu.  He s kind of a fresh face, fresh perspective, compared to the other elites who are running. Duterte has presented himself to voters as a straight-talker who is not part of the Manila elite   someone who can get things done even if he needs to bend the rules to do so. That includes the country s foreign affairs. He feels that American influence is too strong, that we re too dependent on U.S. intervention in anything we do,  said Babe Romualdez, an opinion columnist for The Philippine Star newspaper who has interviewed the candidates one-on-one about their platforms on the U.S. military and relations with China. He was an activist when he was a student and young lawyer,  Romualdez said.  I get a sense that he s saying the same things that most of the militants say. In Romualdez s interview with the front-runner, the candidate said  we really don t need the Americans to deal with the Chinese because the Chinese want to talk to us alone. If I become president I m going to reach out to the Chinese and talk to them alone without American intervention,  he said.Duterte publically opposed the Visiting Forces Agreement with the U.S.   of which the EDCA was an amendment   and claimed in 2013 that he had rejected a request by the U.S. to establish Davao as a base of operations for drones.Earlier this year, he was quoted saying that although the country was now bound by the EDCA, he had  reservations about the presence of foreign troops.  He added,  We will not allow the building of structures. Clearly, Duterte is not the sort of leader the Pentagon envisaged for the Philippines.   If he becomes Philippine President there will inevitably be concern in Washington that its elaborate plans for an anti-Chinese coalition in the region could be scuttled.The New Silk Road Pays A Pit Stop To The PhilippinesWorse still for the US Duterte is saying the Philippines and China could have peaceful and pragmatic relations with each other, engaging in bilateral dialogue over their disputes without the meddling interference of the US.What that would mean for the US is that the Philippines might become a tacit Chinese ally, which would completely upend the regional strategic balance.That is not what Duterte is actually calling for, but he did say is that he not only would be open to talking to Beijing, but would even further and engage in joint exploration in the South China Sea. Further, in seeking to develop the decades-neglected infrastructure of one of the most promising economies of Asia, Duterte has suggested that he would be open to inviting China to build a railroad and other types of connective projects that Beijing has become globally renowned for. This would of course mean replacing US contractors   traditionally heavily entrenched in the Philippines   with cheaper and possibly more efficient Chinese ones   potentially causing US companies to lose out from billions of dollars of construction deals.Joint maritime exploration and infrastructure cooperation between the Philippines and China has the potential to turn the entire Philippines archipelago into the latest pit stop for China s New Silk Road, presenting the US with its biggest geopolitical setback since the reunification of Crimea with Russia.Concluding ThoughtsThe entire future of the US s Pivot to Asia hangs in the balance as Filipinos go to the polls in what is shaping up to be the most pivotal election in their country s history.While the US and its allied politicians are preaching a campaign of anti-Chinese fear mongering and war, Rodrigo Duterte is bucking the system and preaching the benefits the Philippines could reap from more pragmatic policies.By questioning the need for the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement and subtly threatening to subvert it, Duterte has made himself the US s enemy number one amongst politicians from the Asia-Pacific. No other individual is speaking out in this way and unlike others who have come before him, he seems to command a high level of genuine people support.If Duterte succeeds in winning the Presidency, it could represent a paradigm shift in Philippine history and the region s geopolitics, resulting in the US losing its second  unsinkable aircraft carrier  and having its Pivot to Asia   ie. its plan to  contain  China   fail before it has even properly got underway.***READ MORE PHILIPPINES NEWS AT 21ST CENTURY WIRE S:  PHILIPPINES FILESSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TVUS_News
philippines washington fury philippine elections threaten us policy duterte takes clear lead philippine elections photo it andrew korybko the duranmay as filipino choose next president monday prospect election candidate threatens geopolitical viability us pivot philippines votes next president monday whilst rest world pays little attention strategist washington electoral frontrunner rodrigo duterte eccentric former mayor southern island mindanao commands popularity equally loyal following he shaken philippine politics core past couple months defying establishment pundits trump wrongly predicted campaign would file course passing totally underestimated dissatisfied filipino status quo duterte rivals missed chance outside rhetoric with race final days late instead also paralleling happened trump desperate calls coalitions deals stop fail duterte win monday promises geopolitical revolution unlike anything philippines ever seen history piloting to asia through the philippinesthe us pivot asia announced state hillary clinton fall unseated obvious goal containing china key strategy balancing pentagon calls estimated overseas forces theatre such major deployment requires many bases us currently region the us therefore sought help loyal leader former philippines colony benign amino iii find way bases philippines popular pressure closed china threat plausibly justifiable reason aware philippines people still resent former colonies proud forced us close philippines bases end cold war us devised calls enhanced defence cooperation agreement eda allows rotational presence american troops least five separate bases one located strategic island palatal but south china legally permanent officially controlled us arrangement would reality allow us deploy forces philippines returning philippines archipelago role us second unsinkable aircraft carrier alongside japan cold china containment coalition the pentagon plans use philippines maritime lynch china containment coalition ccc gathering allies navies together deploying within provocative striking range china claimed three members quadrilateral security dialogue japan india australia would find way rotate military units throughout philippines islands well thereby forming core add regional element mix plan philippines vietnam contest china maritime claims intensify strategic cooperation point mutual defence treaty this would draw vietnam network coalition built washington using defence ties vietnam philippines making members quadrilateral security dialogue de facto allies pentagon plan produce critical mass hostile states near china southern maritime border backed us could quickly counter moves beijing thereby containing east asian revolutioneverything proceeding according plan duterte began question enhanced defence cooperation agreement while running mate said duterte would honour agreement added would position strength october duterte went record say enhanced defence cooperation agreement scrapped allowed us servicemen philippines avoid justice crimes pinpoint issue sensitive filipino vivid memories us troops able escape punishment acts gross misbehavior whilst us military occupied bases philippines public anger issue one key factors mobilizing local opposition bases explains many filipino oppose impossible imagine incident arising point inevitable situation occur fulfil duterte criterion scrapping enhanced defence cooperation agreement taken together duterte assertion intends deal us position strength easy see might trigger process evoking filipino politician previously spoken us way moreover things said also suggest intention send strongly independent surprisingly publication starts stripes writes us servicemen servicemen families published scathing critique duterte last week here excerpts with filipino set choose among five candidates may duterte incumbent mayor data city said middle affairs holds strong lead according recent poll released popular people sick tired old old said virginia back watson professor center security studies honolulu he kind fresh face fresh perspective compared elites running duterte presented voters part manila elite someone get things done even needs bend rules that includes country foreign affairs he feels american influence strong dependent intervention anything said babe romualdez opinion columnist the philippine star newspaper interviewed candidates platforms military relations china he activist student young lawyer romualdez said i get sense saying things militants say in romualdez interview candidate said really need americans deal chinese chinese want talk us alone if i become president i going reach chinese talk alone without american intervention publicly opposed visiting forces agreement eda amendment claimed rejected request establish data base operations year quoted saying although country bound eda reservations presence foreign troops he added we allow building structures clearly duterte sort leader pentagon envisaged philippines if becomes philippine president inevitably concern washington elaborate plans coalition region could new silk road pays a pit stop to the philippinesworse still us duterte saying philippines china could peaceful pragmatic relations engaging bilateral dialogue disputes without meddling interference would mean us philippines might become tacit chinese ally would completely spend regional strategic duterte actually calling say would open talking beijing would even engage joint exploration south china sea further seeking develop infrastructure one promising economies asia duterte suggested would open inviting china build railroad types connective projects beijing become globally renowned this would course mean replacing us contractors traditionally heavily entrenched philippines cheaper possibly efficient chinese ones potentially causing us companies lose billions dollars construction maritime exploration infrastructure cooperation philippines china potential turn entire philippines archipelago latest pit stop china new silk road presenting us biggest geopolitical setback since reunification crimea thoughtsthe entire future us pivot asia hangs balance filipino go polls shaping pivotal election country us allied politicians preaching campaign fear wondering war rodrigo duterte backing system preaching benefits philippines could reap pragmatic questioning need enhanced defence cooperation agreement subtly threatening subvert duterte made us enemy number one amongst politicians no individual speaking way unlike others come seems command high level genuine people duterte succeeds winning presidency could represent paradigm shift philippine history region geopolitical resulting us losing second unsinkable aircraft carrier pivot asia ie plan contain china fail even properly got underway read more philippines news at century wire s philippines filessupport our work by subscribing becoming a member
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: PHILIPPINES: 2016 Washington’s Fury as Philippine’s Elections Threaten US Anti-China Policy Duterte takes clear lead in Philippine elections. (Photo: IBT)Andrew Korybko The DuranMay 2016: As Filipinos choose their next President on Monday, prospect of election of anti-establishment candidate threatens the geopolitical viability of the US s Pivot to Asia.The Philippines votes for its next President on Monday.  Whilst the rest of the world pays little attention, strategists in Washington are worried.The electoral frontrunner is Rodrigo Duterte, an eccentric, no-nonsense former mayor from the southern island of Mindanao who commands a Trump-like popularity and an equally loyal following. He has shaken Philippine politics to its core over the past couple of months, defying establishment pundits who   just as they did with Trump   wrongly predicted that his campaign would fizzle out over the course of each passing week.Having totally underestimated just how dissatisfied most Filipinos are with the status quo, Duterte s rivals missed the chance to outshine him by his anti-system rhetoric. With the race in its final days that is now too late.  Instead   also paralleling what happened with Trump   there are desperate calls for coalitions and deals to stop him.Should these fail and should Duterte win on Monday, he promises a geopolitical revolution unlike anything the Philippines has ever seen in its history. Pivoting To Asia Through The PhilippinesThe US s Pivot to Asia was announced by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the fall of 2011 with the unstated but obvious goal of  containing  China. Key to this strategy is the  rebalancing    as the Pentagon calls it   of an estimated 60% of its overseas forces to the Asia-Pacific theatre. Such a major deployment requires many more bases than the US currently has in the region. The US has therefore sought the help of the loyal leader of its former Philippines colony, Benigno Aquino III, to find a way to re-open its bases in the Philippines which under popular pressure were closed in the 1990s.Using the  China threat  as the  plausibly justifiable  reason for doing so, but aware that the Philippines people still resent their former coloniser and are proud of having forced the US to close its Philippines bases at the end of the Cold War, the US has devised what it calls an  Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement  (EDCA) that allows for the  rotational presence  of American troops in at least five separate bases, one of which is located on the strategic island of Palawan that abuts the South China Sea.Although not legally  permanent  or  officially  controlled by the US, this wink-and-a-nod arrangement would in reality allow the US to redeploy its forces to the Philippines, returning the Philippines archipelago to the role of the US s second  unsinkable aircraft carrier  (alongside Japan) which it had during the Cold War.The  China Containment Coalition The Pentagon plans to use the Philippines as the maritime lynch of its  China Containment Coalition  (CCC), gathering all of its allies  navies together and deploying them within provocative striking range of China s claimed islands.The other three members of the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue   Japan, India, and Australia   would find their own way to  rotate  their military units throughout the Philippines islands as well, thereby forming the core of the CCC.To add a regional element to this mix, the plan is for the Philippines and Vietnam, both of which contest some of China s maritime claims, to intensify their strategic cooperation to the point of a mutual defence treaty. This would draw Vietnam into the network of the anti-China coalition being built up by Washington by using the defence ties between Vietnam and the Philippines to making the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue de facto allies of Vietnam.Altogether, the Pentagon plan is to produce a critical mass of hostile states near China s southern maritime border which backed by the US could quickly  counter  any moves by Beijing thereby  containing  it to the East Asian mainland.Duterte s RevolutionEverything was proceeding according to plan until Duterte began to question the  Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement . While his running mate has said Duterte would honour the agreement, he added that he would do so  from a position of strength .Back in October 2014, Duterte went on record to say the  Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement  should be scrapped if it allowed US servicemen in the Philippines to avoid justice for any crimes they committed.This pinpoints an issue very sensitive for Filipinos who have vivid memories of how US troops were able to escape punishment for acts of gross misbehaviour whilst the US military occupied its bases in the Philippines.  Public anger over this issue was one of the key factors in mobilising local opposition to the bases and explains why many Filipinos oppose their return.Since it is impossible to imagine such an incident not arising at some point, it is all but inevitable that a situation will occur which will fulfil Duterte s criterion for scrapping the  Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement  Taken together with Duterte s assertion that he intends to deal with the US  from a position of strength  it is easy to see how this might trigger the process of revoking the agreement.No Filipino politician has previously spoken about the US in this way.  Moreover other things he has said also suggest an intention to send a strongly independent line.Not surprisingly the Pentagon-affiliated publication  Starts and Stripes , which writes for US servicemen servicemen and their families, published a scathing critique of Duterte just last week.  Here are some excerpts: With Filipinos set to choose among five candidates on May 9, Duterte, the incumbent mayor of Davao City who has said the U.S.  should not meddle in our affairs,  holds a strong lead, according to the most recent poll released Sunday.Duterte is very popular now because people are sick and tired of the same old, same old,  said Virginia Bacay Watson, a professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu.  He s kind of a fresh face, fresh perspective, compared to the other elites who are running. Duterte has presented himself to voters as a straight-talker who is not part of the Manila elite   someone who can get things done even if he needs to bend the rules to do so. That includes the country s foreign affairs. He feels that American influence is too strong, that we re too dependent on U.S. intervention in anything we do,  said Babe Romualdez, an opinion columnist for The Philippine Star newspaper who has interviewed the candidates one-on-one about their platforms on the U.S. military and relations with China. He was an activist when he was a student and young lawyer,  Romualdez said.  I get a sense that he s saying the same things that most of the militants say. In Romualdez s interview with the front-runner, the candidate said  we really don t need the Americans to deal with the Chinese because the Chinese want to talk to us alone. If I become president I m going to reach out to the Chinese and talk to them alone without American intervention,  he said.Duterte publically opposed the Visiting Forces Agreement with the U.S.   of which the EDCA was an amendment   and claimed in 2013 that he had rejected a request by the U.S. to establish Davao as a base of operations for drones.Earlier this year, he was quoted saying that although the country was now bound by the EDCA, he had  reservations about the presence of foreign troops.  He added,  We will not allow the building of structures. Clearly, Duterte is not the sort of leader the Pentagon envisaged for the Philippines.   If he becomes Philippine President there will inevitably be concern in Washington that its elaborate plans for an anti-Chinese coalition in the region could be scuttled.The New Silk Road Pays A Pit Stop To The PhilippinesWorse still for the US Duterte is saying the Philippines and China could have peaceful and pragmatic relations with each other, engaging in bilateral dialogue over their disputes without the meddling interference of the US.What that would mean for the US is that the Philippines might become a tacit Chinese ally, which would completely upend the regional strategic balance.That is not what Duterte is actually calling for, but he did say is that he not only would be open to talking to Beijing, but would even further and engage in joint exploration in the South China Sea. Further, in seeking to develop the decades-neglected infrastructure of one of the most promising economies of Asia, Duterte has suggested that he would be open to inviting China to build a railroad and other types of connective projects that Beijing has become globally renowned for. This would of course mean replacing US contractors   traditionally heavily entrenched in the Philippines   with cheaper and possibly more efficient Chinese ones   potentially causing US companies to lose out from billions of dollars of construction deals.Joint maritime exploration and infrastructure cooperation between the Philippines and China has the potential to turn the entire Philippines archipelago into the latest pit stop for China s New Silk Road, presenting the US with its biggest geopolitical setback since the reunification of Crimea with Russia.Concluding ThoughtsThe entire future of the US s Pivot to Asia hangs in the balance as Filipinos go to the polls in what is shaping up to be the most pivotal election in their country s history.While the US and its allied politicians are preaching a campaign of anti-Chinese fear mongering and war, Rodrigo Duterte is bucking the system and preaching the benefits the Philippines could reap from more pragmatic policies.By questioning the need for the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement and subtly threatening to subvert it, Duterte has made himself the US s enemy number one amongst politicians from the Asia-Pacific. No other individual is speaking out in this way and unlike others who have come before him, he seems to command a high level of genuine people support.If Duterte succeeds in winning the Presidency, it could represent a paradigm shift in Philippine history and the region s geopolitics, resulting in the US losing its second  unsinkable aircraft carrier  and having its Pivot to Asia   ie. its plan to  contain  China   fail before it has even properly got underway.***READ MORE PHILIPPINES NEWS AT 21ST CENTURY WIRE S:  PHILIPPINES FILESSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TVUS_News
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: philippines washington fury philippine elections threaten us policy duterte takes clear lead philippine elections photo it andrew korybko the duranmay as filipino choose next president monday prospect election candidate threatens geopolitical viability us pivot philippines votes next president monday whilst rest world pays little attention strategist washington electoral frontrunner rodrigo duterte eccentric former mayor southern island mindanao commands popularity equally loyal following he shaken philippine politics core past couple months defying establishment pundits trump wrongly predicted campaign would file course passing totally underestimated dissatisfied filipino status quo duterte rivals missed chance outside rhetoric with race final days late instead also paralleling happened trump desperate calls coalitions deals stop fail duterte win monday promises geopolitical revolution unlike anything philippines ever seen history piloting to asia through the philippinesthe us pivot asia announced state hillary clinton fall unseated obvious goal containing china key strategy balancing pentagon calls estimated overseas forces theatre such major deployment requires many bases us currently region the us therefore sought help loyal leader former philippines colony benign amino iii find way bases philippines popular pressure closed china threat plausibly justifiable reason aware philippines people still resent former colonies proud forced us close philippines bases end cold war us devised calls enhanced defence cooperation agreement eda allows rotational presence american troops least five separate bases one located strategic island palatal but south china legally permanent officially controlled us arrangement would reality allow us deploy forces philippines returning philippines archipelago role us second unsinkable aircraft carrier alongside japan cold china containment coalition the pentagon plans use philippines maritime lynch china containment coalition ccc gathering allies navies together deploying within provocative striking range china claimed three members quadrilateral security dialogue japan india australia would find way rotate military units throughout philippines islands well thereby forming core add regional element mix plan philippines vietnam contest china maritime claims intensify strategic cooperation point mutual defence treaty this would draw vietnam network coalition built washington using defence ties vietnam philippines making members quadrilateral security dialogue de facto allies pentagon plan produce critical mass hostile states near china southern maritime border backed us could quickly counter moves beijing thereby containing east asian revolutioneverything proceeding according plan duterte began question enhanced defence cooperation agreement while running mate said duterte would honour agreement added would position strength october duterte went record say enhanced defence cooperation agreement scrapped allowed us servicemen philippines avoid justice crimes pinpoint issue sensitive filipino vivid memories us troops able escape punishment acts gross misbehavior whilst us military occupied bases philippines public anger issue one key factors mobilizing local opposition bases explains many filipino oppose impossible imagine incident arising point inevitable situation occur fulfil duterte criterion scrapping enhanced defence cooperation agreement taken together duterte assertion intends deal us position strength easy see might trigger process evoking filipino politician previously spoken us way moreover things said also suggest intention send strongly independent surprisingly publication starts stripes writes us servicemen servicemen families published scathing critique duterte last week here excerpts with filipino set choose among five candidates may duterte incumbent mayor data city said middle affairs holds strong lead according recent poll released popular people sick tired old old said virginia back watson professor center security studies honolulu he kind fresh face fresh perspective compared elites running duterte presented voters part manila elite someone get things done even needs bend rules that includes country foreign affairs he feels american influence strong dependent intervention anything said babe romualdez opinion columnist the philippine star newspaper interviewed candidates platforms military relations china he activist student young lawyer romualdez said i get sense saying things militants say in romualdez interview candidate said really need americans deal chinese chinese want talk us alone if i become president i going reach chinese talk alone without american intervention publicly opposed visiting forces agreement eda amendment claimed rejected request establish data base operations year quoted saying although country bound eda reservations presence foreign troops he added we allow building structures clearly duterte sort leader pentagon envisaged philippines if becomes philippine president inevitably concern washington elaborate plans coalition region could new silk road pays a pit stop to the philippinesworse still us duterte saying philippines china could peaceful pragmatic relations engaging bilateral dialogue disputes without meddling interference would mean us philippines might become tacit chinese ally would completely spend regional strategic duterte actually calling say would open talking beijing would even engage joint exploration south china sea further seeking develop infrastructure one promising economies asia duterte suggested would open inviting china build railroad types connective projects beijing become globally renowned this would course mean replacing us contractors traditionally heavily entrenched philippines cheaper possibly efficient chinese ones potentially causing us companies lose billions dollars construction maritime exploration infrastructure cooperation philippines china potential turn entire philippines archipelago latest pit stop china new silk road presenting us biggest geopolitical setback since reunification crimea thoughtsthe entire future us pivot asia hangs balance filipino go polls shaping pivotal election country us allied politicians preaching campaign fear wondering war rodrigo duterte backing system preaching benefits philippines could reap pragmatic questioning need enhanced defence cooperation agreement subtly threatening subvert duterte made us enemy number one amongst politicians no individual speaking way unlike others come seems command high level genuine people duterte succeeds winning presidency could represent paradigm shift philippine history region geopolitical resulting us losing second unsinkable aircraft carrier pivot asia ie plan contain china fail even properly got underway read more philippines news at century wire s philippines filessupport our work by subscribing becoming a member