LOSS-LOSS SITUATION

By Bayawanon

The so-called "independent foreign policy" of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte does not give good to the Philippines and actually puts the Philippines in a loss-loss situation for the following reasons which I would discuss below to wit: 1.) The independent foreign policy of President Duterte technically tilts to China and Russia; 2.) The independent foreign policy foments the president to loan gargantuan amounts of money which would be hard for the Philippines to pay; 3.) The independent foreign policy emboldens China not to respect the decision of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas in the matter of the West Philippine Sea and the Spratlys.

I. -- The independent foreign policy of President Duterte technically tilts to Russia and China.

The foreign policy of Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is not actually independent as a matter of fact it favors China and Russia more than their geopolitical rivals, because of this the geopolitical rivals of China and Russia like the European Union and the United States may distance from the Philippines which may result to possible of divestment of their businesses interests in the Philippines that may be the window for the economic collapse of the country.

It is true that U.S. President Ronald Trump promised to support President Duterte but the truth is this, Trump is not America and America is not Trump.

Just recently the U.S. House of Representatives has begun its investigation regarding the human rights atrocities the Duterte government is doing, and this would be the start of a Philippine-America relations to get sour if not the cessation of good relations between the two countries.

II. -- The independent foreign policy foments the president to loan gargantuan amounts of money which would be hard for the Philippines to pay.

It is a public knowledge that the president has loaned from many countries like China and Russia and such loans are so colossal that it would take years for the Philippines to pay it. This has happened to the Philippines before, during the time of President Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos where and when the Philippines incurred gigantic borrowings from the international community which we are still sadly paying for as of this point.

The possible inability of the Philippines to pay the loans it has incurred may lead also to an economic crisis, since the income derive by the Philippines from its Gross National Income and Gross National Product can simply be used by the same to its loans to China, Russia and others and little would be left for the maintenance of its governmental operations.

III. -- The independent foreign policy emboldens China not to respect the decision of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas in the matter of the West Philippine Sea and the Philippines

If China won't respect the decision of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas regarding the ownership of the West Philippine Sea and some islets and islands at the Spratlys, the more reason that China won't respect such decision by way of the independent foreign policy of China.

The independent foreign policy of Duterte would render meaningless the decision of the International Tribunal in favor of the Philippines since the same starts to actually sleep on her rights over the West Philippine Sea and the Spratlys issues.

By virtue of the foregoing premises, I believe that the INDEPENDENT FOREIGN POLICY of the Philippine strongman Rodrigo Roa Duterte is actually a LOSS-LOSS SITUATION for the Philippines.