A new world order is upon us and every time there is change there will always be resistance.

The much-touted new world order in which President Rodrigo Duterte figures prominently is all about asserting independence from dictates of other countries, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said.

Independent foreign policy means seeking deeper partnerships with other countries while respecting ties with traditional allies, he noted.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar in an interview with local and Russian media prior to the return of President Duterte’s delegation to the Philippines said the government will continue to pursue an independent policy while maintaining cooperation with Western allies.

“A new world order is upon us and every time there is change there will always be resistance, but the Philippines will continue to walk down the path of independent foreign policy,” Andanar explained.

“We continue to respect our traditional Western allies,” he added.

According to Andanar, the policy has paved the way for an improved relationship between Russia and the Philippines since Mr. Duterte’s first bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin in 2017.

“Russia is a beautiful place. It has good scenery. We need to pursue the shift of policy to see this part of the world,” he explained.

He underlined the Philippines continues to respect its traditional Western allies.

“We have the mutual defense treaty with the United States of America and the same way we will foster our relationship with China and Russia,” he added.

Regarding the government’s campaign against terror, Andanar noted the battle against Islamic State (IS) was won in part due to the military support sent by Russia to quell IS-inspired militants that occupied Marawi City in 2017.

“Very successful. President Rodrigo Roa-Duterte and the military, of course aided by our foreign friends, were able to successfully thwart IS in Marawi. Just a few weeks ago, the IS element who was connected to the first suicide bombing in Jolo, Sulu was arrested by the Philippine government,” Andanar said.

“You can also say that during the time we had this crisis in Marawi, the Russian government has been very helpful in solving the problem. We are also talking about solving the drug problems and transnational crimes,” he said.

The PCOO Secretary also noted that the Philippines seeks to enhance cooperation with Russia in defeating the common enemy of terrorism and illegal drugs.

“We continue to do this job. It’s not easy. It is also not a problem only being faced by the Philippines but a common problem also faced by all countries including Russia and that’s why the President is here to be able to solve this problem with Russia, the problem of terrorism, transnational crime and hard drugs,” he added.

Andanar also discussed the territorial dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea, saying that the government has chosen to resolve the issue in a peaceful and diplomatic manner and that the entire relationship between the two countries is not based on that alone.

“We also have other relationships. We have relationships based on people-to-people exchanges, business exchanges. We also have cultural exchange, trade with China. The Philippines has also ballooned. We are receiving more tourists from China,” he said.

“The President admires the no-nonsense approach of President Vladimir Putin to governance, the same way he idolizes his mother who was a public school teacher who lived a very modest life,” the official explained when asked about his oft-related statement of admiration for the Russian leader.

Andanar also mentioned the respect that the President has for other leaders like Chinese President Xi Jinping, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Jordanian King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations heads of state.

When asked whether he had a tough job as the Communications Secretary of Duterte, Andanar said: “Not at all,” adding that the job is not difficult.

“The President enjoys a very high satisfaction approval rating around the vicinity of 80 to 85 percent. And any world leader would love to have that approval rating. So, it’s not difficult at all,” he said.