In debut UN speech, President Duterte makes peace with UN, invokes court ruling against China
Voicing negative opinions against the UN has been common from Duterte (Wikimedia Commons).
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte spoke to the United Nations for the first time in his four years in office on September 22. Addressing the UN General Assembly, the Philippine leader delivered a ringing endorsement of the UN’s ideals and strongly reaffirmed the country’s claims in the South China Sea. His speech breaks heavily from precedent and may signal a genuine shift in Philippine foreign policy.
President Duterte is infamous for his lengthy tirades against the UN, calling the organization useless and even threatening violence towards UN rapporteurs. However, in his speech, Duterte voiced a strong support for issues dear to the organization: multilateralism, sustainable development, non-proliferation, and peacekeeping, among others. He also underscored the UN’s critical role in combating the ongoing pandemic, emphasizing the need for “coordinated international plans and efforts.” Former Philippine representative to the UN Lauro Baja praised Duterte, saying that the speech transformed him “from a critic of the UN to an ardent advocate of its important role in world affairs.”
The core of Duterte’s speech, however, regarded the Philippines’ simmering maritime dispute with China. He reasserted the Philippines’ legal victory at The Hague, declaring that “The Award is now part of international law, beyond compromise and beyond the reach of passing governments to dilute, diminish or abandon.”
Duterte’s invocation of the ruling was unexpected, given that his broad approach to China has been a combination of submission and resignation. The territories awarded to the Philippines are currently under Chinese control and are at the center of China’s militarization efforts in the South China Sea. Duterte has been apathetic to such aggressions despite widespread reports of Chinese ships sinking Pilippine fishing boats and Chinese fishermen critically depleting resources in waters under Philippine jurisdiction. “Any suggestions?” he asked a crowd when pressed about his indifference to the issue. “Have you heard of any sane solution short of going to war?”
Filipinos hope that Duterte’s speech at the UN is a sign that the administration will push back against China’s aggressive actions in the region. “His future actuations domestically and dealings with the Chinese are what the Filipino people eagerly await,” Ambassador Roberto Romulo, former Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, tells The Caravel.
However, others are more pessimistic. South China Sea expert Collin Koh believes that Duterte’s defense of the ruling is unlikely to change the reality of the situation. He says, “ the Duterte administration is more than likely to stick to the pre-existing policy of engaging Beijing on multiple fronts.” Koh states that Duterte’s speech may instead divert attention from domestic issues, such as alleged human rights violations, criticisms over the handling of the pandemic, and an anti-terror law that critics allege would undermine freedoms and lead to abuses of power.
“If you’ve been paying attention, you’d know that what Duterte says in public depends on who’s in front of him,” human rights researcher Carlos Conde says. “Duterte’s actions rarely match his rhetoric.”