Philippines will have no problem with outcome of US elections, says Romualdez

The Philippines will encounter no major problem whatever the outcome of the US elections as the countries are long-standing allies, the Philippine Ambassador to Washington said Thursday.

“Well, I think, personally, I don’t think we really have any real major problem that we will encounter because we have always been close allies of the United States. As I said, we are considered to be one of the oldest allies in Asia,” Jose Manuel Romualdez said in an interview with JP Soriano.

However, Romualdez said that the new US administration will have to respect the sovereignty of the Philippines after Soriano raised the possibility that Democratic candidate Joe Biden, should he win, may raise the issue of Senator Leila de Lima’s continued detention or the war on drugs.

“Whatever issues that they will bring out, we will always respect their opinion. But at the end of the day, they have to respect us as an independent nation. That’s all there is to it, really,” he said.

The United States Senate foreign relations committee previously approved a resolution condemning the Philippine government for the continued detention of De Lima and called for the dropping of charges against her and her immediate release.

“They cannot tell us what to do. They can suggest, they can probably advise us as friends and allies, but they cannot tell us what we must do. If we have certain issues or certain crimes that were committed then they have to respect us. Just like what happened with the case with Pemberton,” Romualdez said.

Election watchers such as the Associated Press currently count 264 electoral college votes for Biden and 214 for President Donald Trump. The winner of the US presidential elections is whoever reaches 270 votes, or the majority of the electoral college's 538 votes. 

A Biden administration

Romualdez added that US-Philippines relations will remain should Biden win as he would be “a little more above it all,” despite President Rodrigo Duterte's issues with former President Barack Obama.

Duterte in 2016 told Obama to “go to hell” amid widespread criticism of his campaign against illegal drugs. He later apologized for his remarks.

Biden was Obama's vice president from 2008 to 2016.

“The bigger picture is what’s important, really, in our relationship. We have to remember that we have a long-standing relationship with this country and there is no really, I would say, it is not necessary to bring in the personal feelings of one or the other,” Romualdez said.

The ambassador said what is important is what benefits both countries.

“So I think we will bring it up to a level that is overall good for both countries rather than go into specific issues like even personal relationships that were established between presidents,” he said.

“Because at the end of the day, it’s really… the relationship that we have and the mutual respect that we have for each other that’s important. And more importantly, what’s beneficial for both countries. If it’s good for us and it’s good for the United States then we’re in the same situation,” he added.

Romualdez also said that the US’ support for the Philippines over issues with China and the West Philippine Sea will continue.

“[O]f course one of the questions that we asked that if there’s going to be a change in the administration, will there be a change in policy as far as the South China Sea, and they’re quite confident that the next administration will continue that same policy,” he said.

“As a matter of fact, we’ve also had some interaction with some foreign policy advisors of the democratic party. They too agreed that the policy set by President Trump and Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo, especially in recognizing the arbitral war that we won in the UNCLOS, will be respected and will continue as such,” he added. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News