Why Duterte leans toward China

This is a reaction to the article titled “Duterte drifting from US to China, says new PH envoy” (News, 1/04/17).

Past Philippine administrations treated the United States as a “Big Brother.” Agreements between the two countries like the ones on mutual defense and trade and investment, and such laws as the Tydings-McDuffie Act and the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act were designed to establish long friendship between the two countries.

President Duterte cannot just abrogate defense and economic pacts because he is being oversensitive to criticisms of the brutal extrajudicial killings happening during his watch. The criticisms do not necessarily constitute meddling in the Philippines’ internal affairs.

One reason the President is distancing the Philippines from the United States is the commitments he has made to China in exchange for economic support. Or the real reason could be that Mr. Duterte needs military, logistic and tactical support from outside forces (from China) to neutralize any covert participation by the United States in possible coup attempts.

Already Duterte has succeeded in getting the support of the communist New People’s Army and of the Muslim separatists in case there would be an extrajudicial attempt to oust him.

ISIDRO C. VALENCIA, Makati City