Comment on the growing complications of Duterte’s puppetry to two imperialist powers

Hugo Francisco
July 17, 2019

By Jose Maria Sison, NDFP Chief Political Consultant

The affirmation of the freedom of navigation of the US and all countries in the high seas of the South China Sea runs counter to the claim of China that it owns those high seas and that the artificial islands it has illegally built and militarized in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines also generate Chinese territorial sea.

That the representatives of the Philippines and the US can make such affirmation has certain implications and consequences, like the following: Duterte cannot evade the UNCLOS and international law and the assertion of the freedom of navigation by the US and other countries and consequently China is going to demand from Duterte fulfillment of his promise to sell out Philippine sovereign rights in exchange for the commissions and other payoffs for himself and his ruling clique.

In the meantime, the competition of the US and China in using Duterte is heating up at the expense of the Filipino people. The US has gotten a joint affirmation with the Philippines in favor of its freedom of navigation. But despite US security warnings, Duterte has agreed to let China Telecom and Huawei control the Philippine communications system.

And of course China is still on track in trying to turn the Philippines into a debt colony through high interest loans and overpriced infrastructure projects and to get the trillions of dollars worth of gas and oil resources in the exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea through a lopsided exploration and exploitation agreement.

Duterte is vulnerable to a withdrawal of support by a combination of patriotic and pro-US military officers because of the growing discontent of the Filipino people over Duterte’s crimes of treason, tyranny, mass murder and corruption. They are strongly offended by the treasonous sell-out of Philippine sovereign rights to China by Duterte.

As in the ouster of Marcos and Estrada, gigantic protest mass actions can encourage said military officers to withdraw support from Duterte before he can satisfy the US on his promises to destroy the revolutionary movement or allow by charter change foreign corporations to have 100 per cent ownership of Philippine land, natural resources and all types of businesses.