Duterte first PHL president to defy America

 

By Al S. Mendoza

WHEN Barack Obama was still America’s president, he criticized President Duterte’s war on drugs.

That was in 2016, Obama’s last year in office.

That was in 2016, Mr. Duterte’s first year at Malacanang.

I distinctly remember Digong’s reaction to Barack’s barrage.

“Who is he?” said Mr. Duterte, referring to Obama.

With those three words, our Philippine president set the tone of his six-year administration:  Tough and will, can, never be bullied.

Not even by the US president, known the world over as the most powerful person on earth.

“Who is he?” became iconic as it defined what kind of a leader Mr. Duterte is:  He minces no words.

He tells it like it is.

What you see is what you get.

After Obama got that terse earful from Digong, Barack was never the same again.

Obama never mentioned Mr. Duterte again—publicly.

And Obama never showed up in gatherings that Mr. Duterte was around.

In short, he was silenced by Mr. Duterte—forever.

When Donald Trump became US president in November 2016, one of his first official duties was not only to acknowledge Mr. Duterte but even heap praise on our President’s style of leadership.

“I like President Duterte,” Trump said.

I’m sure Mr. Duterte was flattered.

Who wouldn’t be?  That’s the world’s most powerful person showering you with praise.

But did Mr. Duterte show even a hint of pleasure?

Nah.  Never returned the compliment.  Just kept quiet.

And now, only very recently, Digong abrogated the Visiting Forces Agreement that effectively threw the American soldiers out of joint military exercises with our own Filipino armed forces since 1999.

It was an obvious reaction to the move by the US Senate to ban Filipino officials, who had a hand in the jailing of Sen. Leila de Lima, from entering America.

It also was an offshoot of that US Senate order to revoke the American visa of Sen. Bato dela Rosa for being the chief enforcer then of the war on drugs.

There is no American move crazier than that.

In all fairness, Trump had nothing to do with those crazy US Senate decisions.

Still, why Trump didn’t lift a finger addressing those bizarre verdicts baffles the mind.

Anyway, the move to terminate the American soldiers’ joint-exercises with Filipino military men only proves once more that Mr. Duterte is never a lackey of American hegemony.

Never in our history did we see a Philippine president do what Mr. Duterte did—from Quirino to PNoy Aquino.

Practically all the Presidents before Digong had been roundly labeled—and booed repeatedly—as puppets of American imperialism.

Not Digong.

Let’s then raise a glass to Mr. Duterte for his courage and being firmly a pro-Filipino.

He proved once again that he’s got balls, that he’ll never be bullied by anyone—not even by America, the so-called global policeman.  Awesome.

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