Sara Duterte hits eyed ammunition manufacturing site in PH

Vice President Sara Duterte has criticized the statement of an envoy that the Philippines is open to the production of ammunition in the country in a bid to enhance the defense ties between Manila and Washington. 

The Vice President, who is currently in The Hague, Netherlands to visit her detained father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, stressed that the move would undermine the country’s independent foreign policy. 

“Ang nakalagay sa ating Saligang Batas, na meron tayong dapat independent foreign policy. Kung ‘yung ginagawa ng gobyerno ay kumikiling sa isang bansa lang, ibig sabihin no’n, wala na tayong true independent policy,” Vice President Sara said in an interview on Monday, July 21.

(Our Constitution states that we must have an independent foreign policy. If what the government is doing is only for the benefit of another country, that means we no longer have a true independent policy.) 

“So, dapat hindi lang ako ‘yung kumukontra, lahat tayong mga Pilipino kumukontra sa plano na ito dahil ang ating mga galaw ay dapat for the interest of our country. Hindi para sa interest ng ibang mga bansa,” she added. 

(So, I should not be the only one who should oppose this plan, but all of us Filipinos because our actions should be for the interest of our country and not of other countries.) 

It was Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel ''Babe'' Romualdez who earlier said that an ammunition production facility would be a “good way of being able to help a combination of both defense and economic cooperation” between the Philippines and the US.

The ambassador said that this would also generate employment in the country.

It was also previously reported that US lawmakers were exploring the possibility of establishing a joint ammunition manufacturing facility in Subic Bay. The facility will reportedly enable the forward staging of ammunition stockpiles and related materials such as nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and acid. 

Duterte, however, pointed out that Filipinos should only act for the benefit of the Philippines, and not of other countries.

“Hindi lang Amerika, kahit anong bansa ‘yan—hindi para sa kanila ang galaw nating mga Pilipino. Ang mga ginagawa natin ay dapat para sa interes ng ating bansa,” the Vice President said.

(The actions of Filipinos are not for the US or any other country. What we do must be for the interest of our country alone.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News