VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Is President Duterte a Foreign Service graduate? October 29, 2016 IN his state visit to China, President Rodrigo Duterte said he…
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Category: Foreign Affairs
Do you know that President Rodrigo Duterte is a Foreign Service graduate?
That what he said in his press conference with the foreign correspondents in China last Oct. 19.
He boasted: “Now that I am the President, by the grace of God, I read a lot; I’m a lawyer and I studied geopolitics and all, and also I am a graduate of the Foreign Service so I get to know how to balance this contending (forces).”
Being a “foreign service graduate” is quite a big leap from just having taken up foreign service which was what he said last Aug. 21, in a press conference in Davao City.
By CHARMAINE DEOGRACIAS
VERA Files
IF the South China Sea took a backseat in President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to China, it will be high in the agenda in his bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday.
A diplomatic source said, Duterte will look to Japan for its maritime security needs in the South China Sea.
“On the South China Sea issue, it will be a conscious effort for us to use or message it that we are strengthened strategic partner, it’s not just any partnership, it’s a strengthened strategic partnership. Center to this is maritime security and when he talks of maritime security, it’s not just the civilian maritime law enforcement side, that will necessarily involve defense,” a source at the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
President Duterte’s sharing of his experience with “American idiotic arrogance” has lifted part of the veil of mystery about the reason for his intense hostility towards the United States that many are concerned is adversely affecting long-standing Philippine-US relations.
In his speech before Philippines-China Trade and Investment Forum in Beijing during his three day visit to China (it was there where he announced the Philippines will “separate” with the United States militarily and economically) he related his encounter with immigration officials in Los Angeles Airport.
His story: “I was going to Brazil with some of the Congressmen and when we came back – because our entry, port of entry was L.A going there was Miami. You know when I was cleared by Customs, I was going out at the LA LAX airport. Here comes this black guy in uniform also black, with the pistol also black and his shoes was black and I thought that he was somebody – no slur intended that is his original color. And he accosted me and said “May I see your passport.” So I gave him, it was a diplomatic passport because we were travelling most of the Congressman in my entourage were travelling with passport diplomatic. And he said, “Where is your letter of authority to travel?” And so that was the first time that I say it was missing. And I said with probably because that letter was addressed to the port of entry in South American, which is Brazil and it was not clipped and so probably it was not re-inserted in the passport and it was lost this way. “
By CHARMAINE DEOGRACIAS, VERA Files
President Rodrigo Duterte will not initiate and will instead let Chinese President Xi Jinping to take the lead on whether the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration will be discussed in their meeting today.
In a press conference in Wednesday night with Beijing-based media, on the eve of his meeting with Xi, Duterte said, “As a friend, and I would say this now, if he (Xi) mentions it in passing I will just say, Mr. President I don’t want to make hardline position. I don’t want to ask you to do it now because there will be a time that we shall be doing it. But I have to wait for your President to mention it in passing for me to respond.”
Duterte said the talking points will be broad enough to accommodate all issues but out of courtesy, the “oriental way” he would wait for the right time. He said the general outline of the agenda was reached in the preliminary talks between Philippines Foreign Secretary and his Chinese counterpart.
By CHARMAINE DEOGRACIAS
VERA Files
WHETHER Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk about Scarborough Shoal in their first meeting in Beijing, the specter of the triangular-shaped coral reef 124 nautical miles west of Zambales looms large in this landmark visit that signals the rekindling of relations between the two Asian countries severely strained with the filing of the suit before the Hague tribunal by the previous administration of Benigno Aquino III.
A Malacañang source said Duterte will take up the South China Sea issue, “if raised” in his four-eyes meeting with Xi on Oct. 20. He will not initiate to raise the issue of the arbitral ruling but will respond if mentioned. However, his key message on the matter of Scraborough shoal will be asserting the fishing rights of Filipinos there, but while this is his wish “he will listen and will not make any imposition on the Chinese side.”
An upbeat Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua told members of media last Friday that they expect President Duterte’s four-day state visit to China to be “fruitful.”
He said at least a dozen Memoranda of Understanding are being worked out to be signed during the Oct. 18 to 21 visit and one of them will be on increased importation of bananas, pineapples and dragon fruits.
In a press conference at Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City,four days before Duterte’s much-awaited state visit to China, Zhao said, “President Duterte has told me repeatedly that he is concerned about Filipino farmers particularly those farmers who are growing bananas or other tropical fruits. In response to this concern, the Chinese side has decided to increase the imports of tropical fruits, such as bananas, pineapples. As a matter of fact, among all ASEAN countries PH banana and pineapple have already constituted a very large percentage in the Chinese market. If I recall correctly, bananas constitute about 82 percent and pineapples constitute over 70 percent but still we would like to import more. “
The critique of former President Fidel V. Ramos of President Duterte’s first 100 days should be a warning to the latter that he cannot go on with his “Kill, Kill” mantra with five years and nine months more to go in his presidency.
FVR burst the bubble of Malacañang’s euphoria over the President’s 76 percent satisfaction rating (Social Weather Stations September 24-27, 2016 survey) with a commentary in the Oct. 9 issue of the Manila Bulletin that “..we find our team Philippines losing in the first 100 days of DU30’s administration – and losing badly. This is a huge disappointment and let-down to many of us.
“Team Philippines” refers to the 101 million Filipinos.
Her Facebook post last Friday – the 100th day of the Duterte presidency- made me admire her more.
This post by Agot has gone viral liked by 24,000 and shared by 7,836:
“ Unang-una, walang umaaway sa iyo. As a matter of fact, ikaw ang nang-aaway.
“Pangalawa, yung bansa Kung saan ka inuluklok ng 16 million out of 100+ million people ay Third World. Kung makapagsalita ka parang superpower and pilipinas eh. At excuse me, ayaw namin magutom. Mag-isa ka na Lang. wag kang mandamay. Hindi na nga nakakain ang nakararami, gugutumin mo pa lalo.
“ Pangatlo, may kilala akong psychiatrist. Patingin ka. Hindi ka bipolar. You are a psychopath. “
The Department of Foreign Affairs is at a loss how to accommodate the 161 names they have received from Malacañang for ambassadorial positions.
The list, sources say, includes names of retired military officers.
There are only 60 Philippines embassies all over the world, four permanent missions and 20 consulates general.
The 1991 Foreign Service Act provides that “the President shall be guided, as much as possible, by the principle that a majority of diplomatic and permanent missions shall be headed by career ambassadors.”
The four Permanent Philippine missions are to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations headquarters based in Jakarta which is currently headed by Elizabeth P. Buensuceso; to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland headed by Cecilia B. Rebong; to the United Nations in New York headed by Lourdes O. Yparraguirre, and to the World Trade Organization, also based in Geneva and headed by Ryan Francis D. Gener.
By simple mathematics, 60 embassies and four permanent mission equals 64. Simple majority of 64 is 33. That leaves 31 posts for retired military officers, campaign contributors and friends whom Duterte may want to reward with an ambassadorial post.