5 facts about Duterte’s ASEAN chairmanship

Earlier this month, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte officially passed down the baton to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as the new rotational chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This year marked the 50th anniversary of the regional organization, thus there was high symbolism and expectations attached to the Philippines’ chairmanship.

The regional body is gradually moving towards establishing a full-fledged economic community, which entails the establishment of an integrated production network, free flow of (skilled) labor across borders, and seamless transfer of capital and technology across Southeast Asia.

The ASEAN is also grappling with multiple flashpoints across the region, ranging from the maritime disputes in the Western Pacific and South China Sea to the North Korean crisis. So there was also huge pressure on the inter-state organization to respond accordingly. Moreover, there are also major humanitarian crises across Southeast Asia, particularly the ongoing campaign of persecution against the Rohingya minority group in Myanmar. In short, Duterte had a lot on his plate. So what were the key achievements and shortfalls of this year’s ASEAN chairman?

1. Impeccable organization

No doubt, the ASEAN summits and related meetings were well organized. In fact, the Duterte administration should be commended for a world-class performance in this regard, though the tag price of P15.5 billion was far from negligible. Hosting global leaders, CEOs, and ministers is a logistical nightmare, and yet there wasn’t even a single major incident throughout the whole year. The Philippine government effectively addressed all possible security challenges. And unlike the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in 2015, there were neither a “tanim bala” scandal, nor were Manila residents forced to work through unbearable traffic, thanks to well-timed holidays announcement. Personally, I had the privilege of covering the ASEAN Regional Forum (August) and the ASEAN Summit (November) on the sidelines as a foreign affairs resource person for the GMA Network and international news agencies. But was spending all that money worth it?

2. Reinventing our national image

The Philippines’ 1987 Constitution enshrines the principle of independence. It says:
The [Philippine] State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states, the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination.

This policy of independence mandates that the country should not align itself with either the West or the East, but instead pursue friendly relations with all relevant international actors depending on the national interest. 

So on the surface, Duterte is simply fulfilling his constitutional duty as the new national commander-in-chief. But a closer look reveals that the Filipino president has something more specific in mind.

Across the West and even many Asian countries I have visited in recent months, the conventional image of the Philippines is one of an unruly, bloody, unsafe and increasingly undemocratic nation. We can debate whether this is due to unfair international media coverage or, alternatively, troubling developments in the country in the past two years.

But clearly hosting the ASEAN—and as successfully as we did—was a welcome departure from the conventionally negative coverage of the Philippines. We managed to show to the world that we are a rising emerging market, with a highly educated workforce and increasingly competent organizational acumen. But where there tangible benefits?

3. Signed major agreements with world leaders

The ASEAN Summit in November saw Duterte signing major agreements on trade, investment, infrastructure development, counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, affordable medicine, among many others, with world leaders from Japan, the United States, Australia, China, and Russia. The summits may seem as empty ‘talk shops’ to some observers, but they usually serve as a perfect venue for major bilateral deals, which benefit the host nation.

4. The Philippines is now in a strategic sweet spot.

It was hard not to notice the fact that not only was Duterte highly statesmanlike, and remained faithful to his talking points, but he was also being openly courted by all major global leaders, whether it is President Donald Trump of the United States or Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan or Premiere Li Keqiang of China or Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. All these leaders were extremely cordial with the Filipino President, emphasized areas of common interest, and effectively ignored international outcry over Duterte’s drug war. No major leader confronted Duterte on human rights or democracy issues, while the Philippines was consulted over major regional security issues, particularly on North Korea. So in a way, Duterte was the star of the show, and for at least several days, especially during the ASEAN summits, the country became a temporary center of the universe.

5. Best showcase of an independent foreign policy

Surely, the Philippines’ chairmanship has been far from perfect. There was no major breakthrough on trade talks, particularly on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), or the creation of an ASEAN Economic Community. More worryingly, there was a virtual whitewashing of the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar against the Rohingya people. On the South China Sea, the regional body was practically mum over China’s massive reclamation activities and increasing militarization of disputed land features in the area, not to mention flagrant disregard for The Hague arbitral tribunal ruling, which reinforced the Philippines’ rights in its Exclusive Economic Zone. In short, China was given a virtual green light to continue pushing the envelope in adjacent waters.

In a way, however, Duterte provided us a glimpse of how small powers like the Philippines can play different powers against each other and maximize their strategic room for maneuver. The Philippines’ 1987 Constitution enshrines the principle of independence, stating: “The [Philippine] State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states, the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination.” It may be too early to say whether Duterte has been successful in his foreign policy, but now we have a clearer idea of how to best maximize our national interest by adopting an equilateral balancing strategy vis-à-vis all major powers. This, in itself, is a step in the right direction.

Prof. Richard Heydarian is GMA resident analyst and author of, among others, "The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt against Elite Democracy."