Flip-flopping foreign policy not unique to Philippines, political analyst says

A flip-flopping foreign policy is not unique to the Philippines under the Duterte administration as it is also done by major powers, a political analyst said Thursday.

Interviewed on “Quarantined with Howie Severino,” Dr. Rommel Banlaoi described international politics as a “guessing game” full of uncertainties.

“Ang definition natin ng policy na 'yan is ‘Friendly to all and enemy to none’... Ibig sabihin lang na in international politics there are no permanent friends, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interest,” he said.

“And what is that permanent interest? That permanent interest is our national interest,” Banlaoi added.

The expert also backed Duterte’s policy approach of “strategic ambiguity.”

“I support that kind of policy approach of Duterte kasi in implementing ‘yung tinatawag na ‘strategic ambiguity’ na pati major powers nagda-doubt kung ano talaga ang position natin and we're able to use the best of both worlds,” he explained.

Banlaoi also said that other world leaders like Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping use a flip-flopping approach to international relations.

“All states are flip-flopping in terms of their policy and that's not unique to the Philippines… The bottomline, ano bang na-achieve ng gobyerno natin in pursuing such kind of policy approaches?” he said.

The political scientist said Duterte’s flip-flopping policy gave Filipino fisherfolk the chance to return to the disputed South China Sea and also opened the way for the repair of facilities on Pag-asa Island.

In June this year, Filipino fishermen were shooed away from a sandbar of the Pag-asa Island even though the Philippine Coast Guard deployed new patrol vessels to the area. 

A similar incident took place in March 2019, when around 50 Chinese vessels intimidated Filipino fisherfolk in Pag-asa Island. 

Even as top Philippine defense officials inaugurated a beaching ramp on the island earlier this year, Chinese vessels were seen looming in the background. —Julia Mari Ornedo/LDF, GMA News