Coming from his recent visits to Brunei and China and speaking to the media on Fri (Oct 21), President Rodrigo Duterte was asked about the U.S. presidential election.
When asked who between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton he would most likely get along with, Duterte gave an out-of-the-box answer.
“You know my, friend, I would like to answer your question candidly, honestly and truthfully. Personally, it doesn’t matter much,” Duterte said.
He adds, “But I am president of a country, and we have this splendid relation with the Americans… I cannot gamble an answer because either way, it might create hostility here, antagonism here.”
Ah, so you do know what happens when you make haphazard statements without consulting your cabinet!
Duterte then says, “I’m better off in saying my favorite hero is Putin.”
Ladies and gentlemen, we just reached peak Duterte right there.
He is of course referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin — the third wheel in his love triangle with China.
During his visit to China, he said, “Maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world — China, Philippines, and Russia. It’s the only way.”
Is it the only way, though? Whatever happened to standard diplomacy, better foreign policies, fair economic agreements, and trustworthy alliances?
Ah, what do we know? We’ll just leave it to the master strategist.
