Another scare tactic by american. Your trick is old. Duterte want solid incentives like hospital , train, aprtment , power station, bridge and tunnel to be build and modernise Philippine. Giving a few million will no more working. Save your breadth! USA is a decaying nation
Oh please, the US has given far more to the Philippines than your country has in their time of need.
..Here, for example during the Typhoon Haiyan...
China... donated US$200,000 to the Philippine relief effort.[34] China provided a donation of US $1.4 million worth of relief supplies.[35] China also sent its naval hospital ship Peace.
The U.S. provided:
The United States initially contributed US$20 million in aid in food and relief goods;[19] this was later increased to US$37 million.[20] The official military relief efforts became known as Operation Damayan.[21] Twelve V-22 Ospreys from Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 and Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 were immediately deployed from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Japan to assist in delivering supplies;[22] and the United States Air Force's 36th Contingency Response Group was deployed to assist with the re-opening of the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban.[23] Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the Pacific Command to deploy vessels, including the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) and its carrier strike group,[24] to the region and aircraft for search and rescue missions as well as to deliver relief supplies.[2] Other ships in the strike force include the supply ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE-10), the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS-39), the cruisers USS Cowpens (CG-63) and USS Antietam (CG-54), the destroyers USS Lassen (DDG-82) and USS Mustin (DDG-89), the oceanographic survey ship USNS Bowditch (T-AGS-62).[25] and the oiler USNS Yukon (T-AO-202).[26] The hospital ship USNS Mercy (pictured) was also activated.[27] As of November 17, 19 USAF C-130 Hercules transport planes operating out of Clark International Airport (Formerly Clark Air Base) were dedicated to ferrying supplies to and evacuating victims from the region.[28][29] Three C-17 Globemaster III aircraft based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson also flew many airlift flights into Tacloban airport, delivering food, water, and evacuating refugees back to Manila.[30][31] They were also instrumental in bringing in Philippine Army supplies to reopen the Tacloban airport. Three amphibious ships based in Sasebo, Japan, the USS Germantown (LSD-42), the USS Ashland (LSD-48), and the USS Denver (LPD-9) were also deployed and arrived on November 19[32] bringing an additional 1,000 marines to augment the 850 marines already on the ground.[26] The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS-1) was also deployed to the region on November 18.[26] As of November 22, the US had committed over 13,000 military personnel to the relief effort.
Duterte chose to ignore that, and focus on generation old grievances of which everyone who was part of is dead or has 1 and a half feet in the grave, sounds very Chinese in fact.
I've pretty much had it with the narrative that the Philippines is turning heel against America. The Philippines is simply just trying to be self reliant for once in its history and Americans should at least try to appreciate that rather than incessantly lecturing a former colony. This is neocolonialism at work and Duterte won't have any of it.
Hopefully the Philippines won't become hostile to the US, it would be pretty saddening.
As for the lecturing you speak of, we don't voice our concerns because the Philippines is a former colony, we do it because your president is currently taking the Philippines down a dark path where rule of law is just a word and your constitution means nothing, which endanger's the Philippines' relationship with the US because we value those things in a country.
We voice our concerns with anyone, colony or not. Do you think China was ever a colony of ours? Russia? the UK? Kenya?, Saudi Arabia?
This talk about it happening because of the Philippines being a former colony is an inferiority complex that has to be worked out.
If the Philippines wants to reduce relations with the US (which is what you actually mean when you say you want the Philippines to be self-reliant) That's your country's prerogative, but the move will be reciprocated, and the US will reduce relations with the Philippines as well.
You will have a 'neutral' and self-reliant country for a time, but you won't have the same amount of security. and you won't have much leverage when it comes to China's territorial claims.
Perhaps you don't see that as important, ok then you'll be a Chinese client state and maybe you'll get money and maybe you won't and maybe your fishermen will be allowed to fish at their historic fishing spots and maybe they won't. It will be China's will that decides it, not the Philippines, and you'll be reliant once again.
I'd like to say the Philippines has another option, but you really don't, your navy is in that sad a shape through years of mismanagement and your country has been through years of mismanagement by your government. That's why Duterte was elected in the first place.
Would you even be able to cause losses to the Chinese if they decided they wanted them then and there?
Im being blunt with this, but the Filipinos respect bluntness do they not? Duterte not only needs to balance the accounts, he needs to strengthen your navy, and I don't think China is going to help with that until it has what it wants.
