Since the election of Rodrigo Duterte as the Filipino president the country’s relationship with the US began to be complicated to say the least. Already on few occasions since May, Duterte has found himself in direct confrontation with the American authorities. Most recently the US-Filipino relations were stirred due to Duterte’s insulting comments towards Barack Obama, and then his uneasy apology. Now the Philippine President announced that he wants an end to joint military drills.

On a visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, Duterte said: ‘I am serving notice now to the Americans, this will be the last military exercise’. He explained that such drills prevent new deals with China, who are against the ‘war games’. Duterte added that he is seeking to establish new partnerships not only with the Chinese but also with Russia. The President assured, however, that Filipino-US alliance signed in 1951 will remain in place. In response to the turmoil that Duterte’s statement has caused, Philippine top diplomats, among them Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, say that the President has been misunderstood. They declare that Duterte was solely referring to no more joint military patrols in the South China Sea. This is not the first time that Philippine authorities have to clarify their President’s comments, arguing that they have been ‘taken out of context’. US State Department confirms that they have not received any official notice from the Philippines as of yet.

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