GOOD GRIEF! REPUBLICRATS!! UGH!!!
On July 4, 1946, the US granted the Philippines its independence and guided its “democratic transition to a fully sovereign republic.” Ever since, it has
asiatimes.com
History tells us that US interference in Philippine politics cannot be ruled out. From 1946 to 2000, the US intervened in at least 81 foreign elections around the world. It also engaged in
covert regime change in its favor in 64 instances during the Cold War, including in Indonesia (twice – helping oust Sukarno in a bloody coup in 1965, and then more deftly his successor Suharto in 1998).
Common tactics that the US
has used to change regimes include funding the opposition, supporting military coups, creating chaos and
manipulating the media narrative by bribing its principals and flooding it with anti-regime disinformation.
The US Central Intelligence Agency has a long history of involvement in Philippine politics. It
ran president Ramon Magsaysay’s 1953 campaign. It funded president Diosdado Macapagal as well as Raul Manglapus, the foreign secretary in president Corazon Aquino’s cabinet, and Emmanuel Pelaez, a former vice-president and Philippine ambassador to Washington.
Senator Benigno Aquino Jr, the father of president Benigno Aquino III, was
proud of his CIA affiliations, though he spoke – perhaps naively – of having worked “with” rather than “for” the agency.
Duterte has his own personal history with the CIA and it has shaped his thinking regarding the US. In May 2002 when he was mayor of Davao, the US embarrassed him by facilitating the escape of an American bombing suspect from Philippine jurisdiction and justice.
He did not forget what he considered US arrogance and deceit. In 2013, he refused an American request to base drones at Davao’s old airport.