Duterte is questioning the Philippines’ century-old US alliance while ramping up his diplomatic flirtation with China.

“I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people,” proclaimed Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ controversial leader. It was a defiant remark in response to the West’s increasingly vocal criticism of his “shock and awe” campaign against drugs.

Over the past few weeks, Duterte has upped the ante by questioning the Philippines’ century-old alliance with the United States while intensifying his diplomatic flirtation with China.

Inside Story – Is the US losing traditional allies in Asia to China?
First he threatened to expel American Special Forces aiding Filipino counterterror operations in the southern island of Mindanao.

Then he suggested ending joint maritime patrols and military exercises with America in the South China Sea and, more recently, even discussed the possibility of abrogating defence agreements with the US.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/10/philippines-rodrigo-duterte-pivot-china-161012062518615.html