Rody’s payback

“The Americans’ biggest worry is that a cohesive Russian-Philippine friendship might give Moscow’s ships valuable access to the sea and adjacent tropical Pacific Ocean.

The sole superpower United States (US) is closely watching the developments in the relations between the Philippines and Russia as a result of President Rody Duterte’s second official visit to meet his counterpart Vladimir Putin.

There are apparently jitters about what Rody is up to in his overtures to Putin.

Yet the Philippine leader knows the pain of uneasiness he is causing certain groups in the US. Recently, Democrat senators have stepped up pressure on Rody by initiating a legislation to ban Philippine government officials perceived to have had a hand in the detention of Sen. Leila de Lima, who they call a prisoner of conscience.

He said the Central Intelligence Agency is always watching. “They’re around even here right now. CIA is listening to us, I’m sure,” Rody told a group of intellectuals and leaders of Russia who gathered to listen to him speak about the new world order during the Valdai Discussion Forum.

In a report of Voice of America, which is aptly named, the American government is skeptical about Russia becoming the third force in the rivalry between the US and China in the West Philippine Sea, or otherwise South China Sea, conflict.

“Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s meeting this week with Vladimir Putin in Russia signals Moscow’s interest in playing a tricky but persuasive role in the South China Sea maritime sovereignty dispute now dominated by China and the United States,” the report underlined.

Quoting analysts, some anonymous, the report indicated that Russian arms sales to the Philippines “would reduce US military influence in the sea,” it added.

In the report, it was obvious that the US government was particularly queasy about Mr. Duterte’s visit to the Vnukovo Military Base Airport in Moscow.

It cited a Singapore analyst’s view that “Russia has no claim to the tropical sea that’s prized for fisheries and energy reserves. However, it hopes to flex muscle in support of China.”

“In the South China Sea, Moscow always supports Beijing. They want to be recognized as a superpower, because now we only see USA and China and then tend to forget that Russia or the Soviet Union used to be one of the superpowers,” the report noted.

China and Russia often back each other in resisting the United States, a mutual cold war foe, the report went.

“China is involved in disputes with the United States over trade and its maritime expansion, while Moscow spars with Washington over cybersecurity and military-security matters in Eastern Europe.”

The report reminded Rody that, “The Philippines normally looks to its old ally the United States for military support — which it has received since 1951. Since his 2016 election, Duterte has pursued a multi-country foreign relations strategy, including establishing his country’s strongest friendship ever with China.”

The Americans’ biggest worry is that a cohesive Russian-Philippine friendship “might give Moscow’s ships valuable access to the sea and adjacent tropical Pacific Ocean.”

“Having a friend in Duterte means the Russian ships can stop over on their way to the Pacific,” the report quoted another analyst. “In other words, they can do much more power projection if they have the Philippines as a friendly ally.”

Without fanfare, however, Russia is already a force to reckon with in the region. Russia is Vietnam’s main arms supplier, and sales from Russia since 2011 when the Asian country bought two batteries of coastal missile systems and a year later, two batteries of long-range surface-to-air missile systems.

In Malaysia, Russia is helping in the rehabilitation of 18 Sukhoi flanker fighter planes to make them useful for another 15 years. Russia is also exploring the sale of more fighters to Malaysia.

In the Philippines, Russia’s inroads may not only attract suspicion from the US but also from China, according to the report.

“To avoid angering Beijing over the Philippines, Moscow might earmark any arms sold there for helping resist Muslim rebels rather than for protecting the country’s South China Sea interests.”

Rody had invoked an independent foreign policy to expand relations with China and Russia, away from the traditional partnership with the US.

Aside from the wider options on trade and defense capability that the diplomatic thrust had brought, the US is on its toes and is acting like a spurned lover.

The Americans are apparently playing a carrot-and-stick game on him, but Rody, cunning as he is, just laughs it off.