President Rodrigo rebuffed the offers of three United States top officials to supply the Philippines with F-16 fighter jets and other military equipment for the country’s armed forces.

Duterte said the offer was made through letters by Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

“We hope to partner in other significant defense procurement (for) our mutual benefit, including through the Lockheed Martin F-16 multi-role fighter platform and your attack helicopter platform, among other US systems,” Duterte quoted the letter as saying.

The US officials noted in their letters that the country’s purchase of US military equipment would exemplify the US-Philippines’ continuing commitment to the breadth and the strength of the two countries’ alliance.

Duterte stressed the US will need to do more to prove its sincerity.

In November 2016, Duterte ordered the cancelation of the purchase of 26,000 rifles from the US after Sen. Ben Cardin raised concerns over the administration’s anti-drug campaign.

However, Duterte said the F-16 is utterly useless as the country’s interests would be better served by lighter combat aircraft to fight communist insurgents. Likewise, the President said he was not interested in acquiring M16 rifles from the US.

Still, Duterte said he is willing to meet with the three US officials to discuss matters on Philippine-US relations, provided the venue is not in America.

Just a week earlier, another US official, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randal Schriver, cautioned Philippine authorities against proceeding with plans to acquire Kilo-class submarines from Russia.

Schriver said the Philippines should instead purchase military requirements from the world power as their defense forces have so far been compatible.

“Finding US platforms and US solutions helps us continue our interoperability, helps us improve our ability to operate in all kinds of scenario,” Schriver said.

His warnings earned the ire of Duterte, who retorted: “Who are you to warn us?”

These two developments highlight the increasing discomfort of the US over Duterte’s independent foreign policy shift underscoring improved ties with other powers such as Russia and China.

Moreover, these incidents exposed the clumsy US attempts to retain its leash on the Philippines as a subservient ally.

In fact, the US is employing the same carrot and stick approach to stop allies such as Turkey and India from sourcing their military equipment from Russia on the pretext of military interoperability.

On Saturday, US State Department’s Heather Nauert warned Turkey against buying Russian S-400 air-defense systems. She went a step farther by virtually threatening all its allies with sanctions if they consider similar deals.

US lawmakers earlier had warned of sanctions to India, too, if it pushes ahead with the purchase of similar Russian missiles.

But former US diplomat, Jim Jatras, exposed the real agenda of the US in issuing such warnings. He said the real issue is that the US is scrambling to keep its hegemony over its sphere of influence.

“We do not really have allies, we have satellites and a good satellite does what it is told. And if it does not want to behave like a good satellite, then we pull out a big stick and threaten them. I think ‘sanctions-happy’ is exactly the right word [to describe coercive US policies],” Jatras was quoted as saying.

With the specter of impeachment looming against US President Donald Trump, who allegedly benefited from Russia’s alleged interference in the US elections, as well as the growing military and economic might of China, the US influence is eroding.

While it is true that many of its allies, including the Philippines, would welcome strong relations with the US, it is to its own interest, too, to rethink its approach if it wants to keep such alliances intact. It can begin by treating allies as real partners instead of surrogates.

US policymakers should also realize that threats and intimidation will not work with Duterte; they will only provoke him to lash back. But he will certainly appreciate gestures of goodwill and sincerity.

The letters of the US top officials prove the wisdom in Duterte’s foreign policy pivot as exemplified by the possibility of purchase of military equipment from Putin-led Russia.

It is definitely putting the US on the defensive.