“Romualdez said relations with China and Russia are succeeding because these countries recognize and respect our sovereignty and will not intervene in domestic issues.

Top Philippine diplomats have connected the current political ripples both in the United Nations and the United States government as parts of ramped up efforts, albeit destined to fail, to oust President Rody Duterte.

Both Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez hinted at earnest attempts to thwart the electoral process in what is taking place. The allegations should be treated seriously since these are coming from the government’s foreign representatives.

Romualdez compared the United State Senate panel’s approval of a resolution denying entry to any Philippine official involved in Sen. Leila de Lima’s detention to efforts similar to the ousting of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. The senator’s detention since 2017 was due to drug trafficking charges and not for what US Democrat Senators Patrick Leahy and Richard Durbin claimed was political persecution.

“Perhaps the removal of Ferdinand Marcos was justified then — but not this time. Those advocates of regime change through unconstitutional means are gravely mistaken because times have changed and relationships have changed,” Romualdez said.

The envoy was referring to the 1987 EDSA Revolt that led to the ouster of Marcos and the ascension to power of Cory Aquino.

“Certainly, we do not want to be another Venezuela where foreign intervention from both the United States and Russia has brought the country to economic ruin,” he said.

He branded as “unacceptable” the interference in the country’s domestic affairs of the proposed US travel ban on local officials and blamed it on “a few misguided individuals who were advocating intervention to oust President Duterte, similar to the EDSA People Power revolution.”

In a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, on the other hand, Locsin also hinted of a destabilization effort through the recent Iceland-sponsored UN resolution seeking an international probe into the war on drugs.

Locsin who always waxes eloquent in defending the actions of Rody before the world stage said, “The growing electoral trend toward strong governments does not change its democratic character. This trend proves the UN has achieved one of its key goals for peace: the spread of democracy because they incline more to peace than war.”

“Some in the rest of the world may not like the electoral result, but the people back home are happy with their choice. It is theirs to make, and regret, but it is not the UN’s to decide. The next election may change it more to one’s liking… or not. Still we are warned of states eroding multilateralism by each one asserting too much sovereignty,” he noted.

The hypocrisy of the powerful is very evident, as Locsin noted that the UN appear to prefer weak governments which are unable to protect their people.

“Because they make the case for multilateral intervention at the prompting of conscience of course — but sometimes at the unilateral prompting of great powers or violent or civil non-state actors,” according to the Foreign secretary.

Both had underlined the independent foreign policy of Rody that will not bend to foreign pressure. Romualdez said relations with China and Russia are succeeding “because these countries recognize and respect our sovereignty and will not intervene in domestic issues, and most likely will not throw back at our faces the aid or help they give.”

Going in the President’s favor is the shifting political winds in the US Congress, which indicated the poor support in the efforts to interfere in domestic affairs.

Romualdez related that of the 12 US senators who wrote Rody last February to demand the dropping of charges against Rappler founder Maria Ressa, who is another source of false allegations since she claims oppression while the cases against her involved cyber libel and violation of the anti-dummy law, only four supported the resolution to ban the entry of Philippine government officials.

The complex and expensive efforts that his foes are now resorting to include a major film production to demonize his signature anti-narcotics campaign.

It is easy to piece together the concerted destabilization efforts which some suggest when followed to its end may lead to the doorsteps of drug cartels whose lucrative business was driven away roughly from the country after Rody took power.