President Duterte visited Russia for the second time to broaden and deepen ties with the world’s largest country—Russia occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth—in all areas of cooperation from security and defense to trade and investment,
agriculture, energy, science and technology, and socio-cultural exchanges. The trip was capped by a pledge from his idol, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who promised to support the Philippines in fighting terrorism.
As sweetener, Duterte brought home P620 million worth of business deals.
Putin told Duterte that he considers the Philippines as “a very important partner of Russia in Asia,” citing the constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. While in Moscow, the President witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation agreements on the peaceful uses of energy, scientific research, health, culture and foreign policy consultations.
Duterte’s five-day visit also served as a platform where he reminded the world that Filipinos must be allowed to govern themselves in the manner they prefer. Speaking at the Valdai Forum in Sochi, Russia, the President called out countries that “weaponize” human rights, a term previously used by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to defend the Philippine government from allegations of rights violations.
Duterte said the issue at hand was really not about global order but how actions of certain actors violate the very principles that underpin such order. He said the principles of respect for state sovereignty, nonintervention, and peaceful resolution of disputes must be upheld at all times, otherwise the order unravels.
Duterte said: “What we seek is fairness, equality and mutual respect. We want a strengthened rules-based order where countries, big or small, are treated the same. We want unimpeded freedom—guaranteed by our constitution— to exercise our right to govern ourselves as a people and as we saw it fit. And we want friends and partners to respect our independence to make sovereign decisions just as we respect theirs.”
The President particularly mentioned how western countries and other global organizations have hurled unfair criticisms against his government about perceived excesses in his war against illegal drugs. “They see what they want to see to justify their preconceived notions, and not trying to understand that what truly is happening is there in my country. Is this how friends treat each other?” he asked.
Duterte said some countries even backtracked from defense contracts over “baseless apprehensions” that firearms or helicopters would be used against Filipino citizens and violate human rights. He said the acts of these countries weaken the Philippines’s ability to protect law-abiding citizens from the outlaws.
Duterte did not mention any specific country in his speech in Sochi, but he claimed that certain countries supply high-end weapons to parties whose actual human-rights records leave so much to be desired.
“We only seek to protect our republic from those who wish to tear it apart. We only seek to curb criminality that corrodes the very structure of government. We only seek to build a credible defense against those who might be tempted to violate our territorial integrity. Is this not something that all nations are entitled to? Is this not what democratically elected governments are mandated to do?” he asked.
Duterte’s detractors in the Philippines and in other countries who saw some of his photos in Russia mocked his lack of sartorial elegance. However, one loose necktie didn’t bother his millions of supporters all over the world who were happy to note that powerful leaders like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Donald J. Trump and Shinzo Abe, among others, want to be friends with Duterte. Obviously, these leaders are not shy to let the world know that they like and respect our President.