Duterte’s new Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary is ex-SEC
chairman Yasay. They took up law together at San Beda College.
Yasay’s “acting capacity” appointment would allow Duterte’s
vice presidential partner Sen. Cayetano to comply with the one-year appointment
ban against defeated candidates.
Yasay says if the Philippines wins its pending UNCLOS
arbitral case against China in re: our EEZ and other maritime entitlements
under UNCLOS, China should respect the decision.
It is a relief to hear that.
Earlier Duterte stated during the campaign he would
“cooperate” with China on the matter in exchange for railways and other
investments.
Like Binay, Duterte stated that he was open to the
idea of entering into joint ventures with China to jointly exploit the marine
and mineral resources in our EEZ area.
Now it seems that, per Yasay’s recent statement, Duterte’s
tune is changing from one of surrender to China (disguised as “cooperation”) into
one of adopting an independent foreign policy to serve our national interest.
This is good, if true.
We will wait and see how things would develop during Duterte’s
term.
“Consistency” is a word that
does not exist in the Duterte Dictionary.
